A Day at the Not-So-Fun Park for Lucas
by foreverHenry919
Summary: Lucas visits a winter carnival that has a strange attraction. Or was it a dream?
1. A Day at the Not-So-Fun Park Ch 1

The peppy music of a pipe organ collided with the bright and upbeat orchestrations emitted from a carousel. They, in turn, gave way to the roar of a roller coaster and the joyfully terrified screams of the brave souls who'd chosen to ride it. All around were the bright colors, sounds and smells unique to a winter carnival. The lakeside setting offered a spectacular view of both the carnival and the city beyond, to thrill seekers perched at the top of the ferris wheel. Carnival goers stuffed themselves on the various wares from food vendors ranging from the usual (peanuts, cotton candy, and popcorn), to the exotic (sugar-coated frog legs, chocolate-covered seaweed and deep-fried ice cream). The game booths raked in their fair share of ill-gotten gains, too, since the odds of winning were stacked heavily against any paying challenger.

Virtually unnoticed by everyone amidst the hustle and bustle of the carnival atmosphere, were a frantic mother and father as they reported their child missing. That is, unnoticed by everyone except Lucas Wahl, Assistant Medical Examiner in New York City's OCME. He enjoyed his work and was proud of his accomplishments there under the expert tutelage of his boss, Dr. Henry Morgan. Ever since he was a kid and saw the movie, "Big", starring Tom Hanks, he'd become a frequent carnival-goer and had hoped to find a machine like in the movie, that would make him...well...he hadn't quite made up his mind what he'd wish to be since he'd been taller than his peers since the age of four. So no need to wish to be big. Maybe smart. No. Fearless. Yeah, fearless. And smart. A regular Sherlock Holmes. He laughed to himself. _'A regular Henry Morgan_.'

It was hard for him to ignore the pained and worried expressions of the parents as they huddled close to someone who represented the carnival's management and a couple of security guards. He casually drifted closer to them to gather information. Once he was within earshot, he feigned interest in an elderly woman who attempted the ring toss. Or, rather, _lost_ the ring toss for the fifth time in a row. The attendant behind the counter loudly declared the woman's latest defeat and dared another challenger from the small crowd of onlookers. The woman refused to budge, though, and plunked down a $20 for another set of eight rings. Lucas shook his head but he admired the old lady's feistiness.

His attention was divided between the ring toss and the parents of the missing child, but he managed to hear that they were Paul and Betty Freeman and it was their eight-year-old son, Mark, who was missing. He was last seen going into the Hall of Wonders, they said, at the far end of the carnival grounds. The odd thing was that both the management rep and the security guards repeatedly denied the existence of any such attraction or building. The parents, now angered, protested louder that he'd run ahead of them into the building and the door to the entrance had opened, seemingly by itself. Once inside, the door closed again, seemingly by itself. Once they'd gotten to the door, however, they'd found it locked. So they'd pounded on the door in vain and then contacted the security office.

Lucas didn't want to interfere, but it didn't make sense to him. He wondered why the carnival management and the security guards told the parents that the building didn't exist. He'd seen it plain as day as soon as he'd arrived. And it was _always_ there. It had never attracted many visitors because it always looked as if it were unfinished. Once or twice he'd walked up to the door and peeped inside but he'd never actually entered. It had always been empty just like the parents had said. He decided he'd had enough and walked over to join the discussion in support of the parents. As far as he was concerned, _any_ missing kid was _everyone's_ missing kid.

Suddenly, the parents stormed off in the direction they'd said the Hall of Wonders was. Lucas followed them at a distance. Past the shooting gallery, past the public restrooms and past the last ice cream cart until they were at the northeast corner of the carnival grounds. And, sure enough, there it was: the Hall of Wonders. The parents jogged up to the entrance door and it slowly opened as if on cue. They ran inside and repeatedly called to their son, Mark, in desperation. Lucas hesitated a few seconds, then ran up to the entrance. Strange, he thought, that he'd never had the courage to enter. The door hung open as if it sensed his presence and waited for him to go inside. The parents' running footsteps and voices gradually became faint echoes, then ceased. Lucas suddenly felt the need to distance himself from the structure. He took a step backwards from the entrance but before he could turn and run, he felt himself being pushed through the door and into the building. His forward momentum caused him to lose his footing and fall face down on the hard cement floor. He closed his eyes and grunted in pain as he shakily rose to his feet. _'Elbows, knees, forearms and palms scraped and bruised.'_ Force of habit now to self-diagnose his own injuries. He brushed himself off and rubbed his sore spots.

Then the door slammed shut and blocked out what small amount of light there had been inside. He spun around in time to see the door's three deadbolts lock themselves. Horrified, Lucas ran to the door and attacked it and the locks but to no avail. Panicked and breathing heavily, he stepped back from the door and desperately spun around as he searched for another way out. "Heyyyy!" he yelled, his echo the only response. "Hey, uh, Mark's parents! Uh, Paul! Betty! Anybody! Anybody here?!" His heart raced and he thought it would burst right out of his chest. He ran shaky hands through his hair and wiped the sweat from his face. He looked up. There was an upper level. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a rickety wooden staircase and ran towards it.

He practically flew up the stairs. "Okay, okay, okay." he muttered to himself. There were several glass-enclosed offices. At least they looked like offices but there was nobody in them. He tried the doors to a few of the offices but they were locked. Just like the entrance door, the locked doors refused to yield either to his poundings or pryings. _'The glass. Break the glass. Get inside, see if there's a phone or, or something.'_ Breathless with fear, he looked around desperately for something with which to break the glass. Nothing. He quickly removed his top pullover ( _thanks, Mom, for teaching me to wear layered clothing in winter_ ), wrapped it several times around his hand and banged against the glass again and again and again. _'This must be some of that bullet-proof crap!'_ But the banging was doing a job on his hand. He held it to him and grimaced. _'My only chance, though.'_ He wrapped the pullover around his non-dominant right hand this time and gave it another go. Nothing.

Exhausted, he dragged himself back to the stairs and plopped down onto the top step. _'Wonderful. This would be the day that I called in sick to play hookey from work so's I could go to the carnival and have some fun.'_ He sarcastically drew the last word out. _'No one knows I'm here, so no one's gonna come lookin' for me. And they're not gonna miss me at work tomorrow because tomorrow's my OFF day. Brilliant, Wahl, brilliant.'_ He buried his face in his hands and lamented his inevitable demise in this obviously God forsaken rat trap.

 _'Twilight Zone.'_ he thought. _'This is like being in an episode of the 'Twilight Zone.'_ Lucas wasn't sure how the knowledge of that would help him but he felt it _had_ to. He grinned, stood up and yelled to no one in particular. "I know what you're doing. Yeah, yeah, I figured it out." He laughed and slowly descended the stairs with a white-knuckled grip as he did so. "This is all one big joke. A practical joke." His voice echoed through the apparently vacant building. He lowered his voice and raised his index finger. "But I'm gonna get out." He then yelled maniacally, "I'm gonna get outta here! And when I do I'm gonna kick some serious butt!" He stopped and gripped the banister. He yelled into the emptiness, "Ya hear me?!" His echo reverberated and repeated over his outbursts and made his rantings unintelligable. He covered his ears against his own echoes until they faded out.

He traversed the final few steps and stood at the bottom of the stairs once again. Then he defiantly marched to the middle of the open space, his arms swinging like a determined soldier going into battle. He stopped and turned around slowly as he looked again for a way out. Nothing. No way out other than the locked entrance door. Wait...was that window there before? He couldn't recall. But it had to have been; he'd just overlooked it in his panicked state of mind.

As he ran to the window and tried to open it, a strange feeling came over him. He looked over his shoulder at the stairs - but - they were no longer there. His jaw dropped as he watched the upper level disappear, as well. Then the floor, little by little, beginning at the back wall. It was as if everything was being erased. Erased and replaced by - nothing. Just a vast, white nothing. He whirled around to face the window again. He wrapped the pullover around his dominant left hand again and banged on the window pane. It cracked. He shrieked with glee and banged it again. He felt the nothingness creeping towards him from behind and finally the window gave way.

Just as he felt the floor go out beneath him, he was able to hoist himself up and out of the window. He fell onto the ground in a painful heap. As he rose to his feet and brushed the broken glass from his clothes and out of his hair, the building vanished entirely. An open, grassy field was left in its place. His jaw dropped as he stared at the spot where the building had stood only a moment before. The young man dropped slowly to his knees and cried tears of - what? Joy? Relief? Sorrow? Paul and Betty Freeman and their son, Mark, never made it out, after all. What was to become of them? Why was he spared? "Why? Why? What just happened here?!" he moaned and wailed to an indifferent realilty.

"Sir?" A voice gently addressed him.

"Why? Why?" Lucas whispered, his eyes shut tight, his expression pained.

"Sir." The voice demanded with a bit of impatience.

"Why? Why? Huh?" Lucas' eyes fluttered open and took in his surroundings. A lounge area. Books. Magazines. He rubbed his eyes and wiped away some drool from his mouth and from the side of his face.

"Sir, you'll have to exit the reading room now." The young woman smiled pleasantly at him. "The bookstore's closing." She watched Lucas as he gathered his belongings up. "You were really knocked out. But I'm sorry, you'll have to finish your nap somewhere else."

He nodded and stood up. He looked down at the table where he'd sat and saw a graphic novel entitled, "Carnival of Fear". He laughed to himself and shook his head. _'A dream. It was just a silly dream.'_ He thanked his lucky stars and made his way out of the bookstore.

Lucas waited impatiently as the door was unlocked for him and he finally stepped back out onto the street. _'What a weird dream.'_ He rubbed the back of his neck and concluded that it was time to go home.

Next morning in the morgue...

"Good morning, Lucas." Henry greeted him as he sauntered in.

"Morning, Doc." He cleared his throat when Henry scowled. "Uh, I mean, Doctor."

Henry grinned and shook his head. "Oh, it's fine, Lucas, if you address me by the shortened version of my title. It seems to be the norm around here and I believe I'm getting quite used to it."

Lucas smiled and nodded. "Doc it is, then."

"Hey, Henry. Lucas." Jo greeted them as she walked into the morgue. They greeted her back. She held up a newspaper for them to see with the headline, "Police Search for Missing Family".

"So odd." She said and shook her head. "It says here that a Paul and Betty Freeman visited the winter carnival with their eight-year-old son, Mark. They reported the kid missing to security who thought they were daffy because, get this, the kid ran into the 'Hall of Wonder' but the carnival management and security swear there has never been such an attraction at their carnival in all of their 66 years of operation."

Henry frowned and took the paper to read the article himself. "Hmm, that is odd." He looked up at Jo. "So now the boy and his parents are missing?"

"Yup." Jo replied, tightlipped.

"Lucas, you claim to have frequented this carnival for several years. Had you ever seen such an attraction?" Henry asked. Lucas didn't respond. "Lucas." Henry waved his hand in front of Lucas' face. "Lucas!"

"Oh, my," Jo said, "he's really gone."

Lucas froze when he heard the news about the missing Freeman family. A family he'd only seen in a dream. A family he'd never even met. But somehow they had made their way into his dream. Or - was it a dream? Both Henry and Jo tried unsuccessfully to get a response from Lucas but they and their voices gradually faded as...

The peppy music of a pipe organ collided with the bright and upbeat orchestrations emitted from a carousel. They, in turn, gave way to the roar of a roller coaster and the joyfully terrified screams of the brave souls who'd chosen to ride it. All around were the bright colors, sounds and smells unique to a winter carnival...

 **Notes:**

Just a one-shot that came to me after binge watching "Twilight Zone".


	2. A Day at the Not-So-Fun Park Ch 2

Lucas froze when he heard the news about the missing Freeman family. A family he'd only seen in a dream. A family he'd never even met. But somehow they had made their way into his dream. Or - was it a dream? Both Henry and Jo tried unsuccessfully to get a response from Lucas but they and their voices gradually faded...

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Very odd that Lucas believes he is in a time loop of some sorts." Henry frowned and looked over at his crime-solving partner, Det. Jo Martinez. "I'm inclined to believe him."

"Ohhh, c'mon, Henry, that just sounds ridiculous!" Jo was mortified that her practical-minded partner could make such a statement. "You know how active Lucas' imagination is. He's like a big kid. Buries his nose in all those comics-"

"Graphic novels, Jo." Henry raised a finger along with his eyebrows.

"Ha, ha, ha - WHAT-ever, Henry." Jo replied, annoyance written all over her face.

"Tell me something, Detective." Henry tilted his head upward as if in deep thought. "Why did you so willingly agree to join me on this little adventure? Is it because you are secretly a carnival enthusiast, as well?" He looked over at her again. "Or is it because you also find a disturbing grain of truth in his time loop claim?"

She rolled her eyes but did not respond.

"Hmm...just as I thought."

"Henry, it doesn't matter whether I enjoy carnivals or believe this crazy time loop business...I just want to check things out for myself." She caught his smirk in her peripheral vision and cast a glare at him. "You have to win, don't you? You have to always be right...don't you?"

He inhaled deeply and breathed out in a rush along with his words. "Detective, I can assure you that I am only seeking answers." His smile faded into a serious expression. "I simply want to help the lad. He's been very upset ever since his visit to this winter carnival." He squinted as their destination, the winter carnival, came into view.

"Lad, Henry?" Jo scoffed. "Lucas is what, five, six years younger than you?"

Henry cringed at his lapse in judgment in choosing a descriptor for the younger man. Much younger than he, although Jo had no way of knowing that. _'No need to add fuel to this fire.' he warned himself. 'Stick to the mystery at hand.' he resolved._

"You must admit, though, his behavior borders rather adolescent at times." he offered, hoping to throw her back onto the scent of their present hunt.

"Well, I won't argue with that." she said as she parked the car and they exited the vehicle.

The gravel under their feet crunched loudly as they made their way up to the carnival's entrance and Henry suddenly had a thought.

"Jo, before you flash your badge and whatever, perhaps we should draw as little attention to ourselves as possible."

"Pay and enter as regular patrons, you mean?"

"Yes. I see no reason to alert them to our presence just yet. Let's have a look around," he waved his hand in a small circle, "see what we can see."

When she suddenly stopped walking, he stopped, too, and looked at her in confusion. He thought that maybe she needed him to further explain the reason for his suggestion.

She turned and gave him a pointed stare. "Okay, Henry, we'll do it your way. But we are paying separately - this is not a date."

He smiled broadly and nodded in agreement as they resumed their approach. "Oh, of course, Detective. Separate tabs. Not a date." He placed his index finger to his lips and furrowed his brow. "Although, technically, that is Dutch treat, one of the most popular types of date, especially in today's economy." He raised his eyebrows and waited for her response.

As they approached the entrance and got in line, she icily informed him, "I can _accidentally_ shoot you in the toe, Henry. That's what my report will say."

His smile quickly melted. "Point taken, Detective."

"NOT a date." she repeated as they moved up the line.

"Right." he nodded. "Not a date."

They finally reached the cashier, a thin, wiry woman in her 80's with short, gray curls and green eyes. "Welcome to the carnival. It's Half-Price Couples Day." She smiled brightly and bowed her head to look over her reading glasses, behind and beyond them. "You have any kids? They get in free today, up to age 12."

Jo was the first to answer. "No-"

Henry jumped in before she could finish. "We left them at home today, what a pity." He paid for their tickets and gently guided Jo onto the carnival grounds.

Irritated, she demanded, "What was that all about, Henry?"

"Jo, we don't want to attract any undue attention to ourselves, remember? They think we're a couple," he shrugged and shoved his hands down into his pockets and looked around, "might work to our advantage." He took a few more steps and paused to look around again.

Jo shook her head and caught up to him. She noticed the look of deep concentration on his face, his eyes sliding back and forth. She recognized that look; he was in deep observation mode.

"What? What do you see?" she asked, her previous irritation with him now forgotten.

"There are no children here today." He faced her with a confused frown. "The adults seem to be all coupled off." He pointed to several who displayed various degrees of PDA.

"They also all seem to have this goofy, lovebug look on their faces." Jo also observed.

"And many seem to be leaving without any children." Henry pointed to several couples as they calmly exited." He suddenly caught the reference and turned to her. "Lovebug?" He grinned as they began to walk around to the various game booths. "Isn't that a rather unprofessional way to describe their expressions?" He looked at her again. "You're actually putting that in your report?"

"I'm just calling it like it is." She dryly stated. "It looks like they've been shot with Cupid's arrow or something." She shuddered. "Goofy looking, like...the only thing in the world they could see was each other." They both stopped and looked at each other as the weight of their words settled in on their psyches.

Suddenly, Henry put his arm around her and drew her over to the ring toss. He smiled at her and said without moving his lips, "Perhaps we would do well to display a bit more affection for them - darling." He turned his fake smile to the booth's operator who gave him a friendly wave.

Jo followed his lead and plastered on her own fake smile. "Them? Dear?" She fluttered her eyelashes at Henry and flashed her fake smile at the booth operator. The dimunitive, dark-haired but balding man in his 60's seemed satisfied with their behavior and turned his attention back to the current challenger.

Henry continued to fake smile as he replied, "I don't know, but it's quite possible that we're being watched." He and Jo applauded along with the other onlookers as the challenger, a heavy-set woman in her 70's with waist-length, salt and pepper hair and freckles, raised her fisted hands in the air in victory. She turned to face the crowd with a huge, cheeky grin on her face. Her grin was quickly replaced by a look of - anger? - as she made eye contact with the crime-solving duo. She slowly turned back around, gathered up her prize, a 1950's Kewpie Doll, and walked away as if in a trance.

Henry kept her in sight as long as he could but she vanished into the crowd. He turned to Jo only to find that she'd stepped away from him and now stood before an attraction entitled "Cupid's Little Canal of Love". She watched as couples entered and exited the short ride in small boats along a man-made waterway. _'They go in looking normal,' she thought, 'but come out looking - goofy.'_

"We should go in there, Jo." Henry said as he came up beside her.

She turned slowly to face him. "You're kidding, right?"

He lowered his head and his voice. "I believe something's in there that is causing the others to have this look of false euphoria." She noticed that he did that cute thing with his hand where he spread his fingers, palm up and gestured upward, then down in a small half circle motion as he explained. Cute? Where'd that come from?

"Henry, if we're going to properly investigate the goings-on here, we need to be able to keep a clear head."

"A proper investigation must be thoroughly conducted." She noticed that he did that other cute thing with turning his head and... She blinked several times and stepped back from him. What is this Cute stuff that keeps invading her thoughts?

He reached for her and grabbed her arm as she began to stumble. "Jo, are you allright?" A look of concern grew over his face as he felt her grow heavier in his arms. He looked around for a bench or something and saw some oldfashioned wooden milk crates. He quickly led her over to them and seated her on them. He knelt down in front of her and examined her.

'Sweaty palms, shortness of breath, loss of equilibrium, impaired motor movement. Could be symptoms of several causes. Most likely she's on the verge of fainting. But why?'

He looked around and saw a water vendor. Something prevented him from trusting anything edible in the place, though. After he purchased a cold bottle, he placed it on the back of her neck instead of allowing her to drink from it. It seemed to help as she slowly emerged from the fog that had settled over her and her symptoms dissipated. Encouraged at her recovery, he smiled and held both her hands in his.

"Wha-what happened?" She withdrew one of her hands and cradled her head in it. "One minute I was talking to you and the next...Neverland." He frowned at her in confusion. She sat up straighter and shook her head as she took in several deep breaths. "It's like I was floating all of a sudden." She chuckled. "I was gone." She suddenly stopped as she realized she'd said the same about Lucas when he'd suddenly blinked out on them a few days ago. She and Henry exchanged knowing looks and both began talking at the same time that they should abandon their investigation and hightail it away from that place. As they rose to make their getaway, they were startled by the sight of Lucas as he stood with a small crowd of onlookers in front of the ring toss booth.

"Jo, look." Henry whispered. "It's Lucas."

"Yeah, I see." Jo replied, her eyes widened. "Looks like he's doing exactly as he'd said he did. Blending in with that crowd but listening to..." her breath caught in her throat as a distraught couple came into her view. They were upset and argued with a man in civvys and two security guards, male and female.

The couple's voices rose and snatches of their conversation revealed that they were Paul and Betty Freeman, distressed over the disappearance of their son, Mark. The Detective and the M.E., watched in awe as the couple suddenly broke into a run and Lucas followed suit. They looked at each other and after only a moment's hesitation, took off after Lucas.

The couple ran towards a wooden, windowless, two-level structure that was a cross between a barn and a warehouse. The outside was painted a gun steel gray, with a red, gabled roof and a red French door-sized entry. A huge banner arched over the front of the structure that hailed it as the "Hall of Wonder" which promised visitors a "Fun-Tabulous Experience". It appeared pitch black inside as the couple disappeared into it and repeatedly called out their son's name in desperation. Henry and Jo watched as Lucas stood at the entry and suddenly fell with a violent force into the building and the door closed.

Jo put her hand on her gun and ordered Henry to stay behind her as she stealthily approached the structure. When she noticed that he was walking alongside her instead of behind her, she shot him a glare. "This is exactly why you irritate me so, Henry." Her voice taut with anger. "Now either do as I say or we are through!" He blinked at her, mildly surprised. She immediately added, "As partners!"

He nodded slightly and positioned himself behind her as they continued their approach. _'That's the reason for her recent spate of sarcastic remarks directed towards me.'_ He marveled at how dense he could be sometimes. In all his long life, he still had a hard time understanding women. Especially this particular female detective, who had gotten under his skin the moment he first saw her walk into the morgue. Despite repeated fortifications to his emotional wall of solitude, they crumbled each time in her presence. But at this moment, Lucas needed their help. So, he shoved those thoughts aside and brought his attention back to Jo, her weapon drawn now, as they came closer to the building.

They banged on the door together and called repeatedly to Lucas. They stopped briefly when they swore they heard him yelling. The next thing they knew, Lucas was falling out of a window next to the door. Had they seen that window? Neither recalled seeing any windows as they'd approached the building. But Lucas had definitely climbed out of one.

All three of them backed away from the building and watched in awe as it vanished right in front of them. Only a grassy field remained and no signs that any structure had ever been on it.

When Jo and Henry looked back at Lucas, he was nowhere in sight. In fact, the two of them were alone in an empty field. The booths, the people, nothing remained. It was as if they had never existed at all.

"Ohhhh, Henry, let's get out of here."

"Yes, yes." he quickly agreed.

The two of them quickly ran to Jo's car. Her hands shook as she struggled with her keys.

"Jo, use that button on your key chain." Henry pointed nervously at her key chain.

"Oh!" She pressed the small red button and the doors automatically unlocked. They jumped in and she sped away, back to the precinct.

As they pulled up to the precinct, they relaxed a bit but both of them still worked to steady their shaky hands.

She parked the car in one of the designated spots. They leaned back, closed their eyes and tried to put a damper on their fears. Then they suddenly looked at each other. "Lucas!" they chimed in unison. They jumped out of the car and made their way into the morgue. He wasn't there, though. Henry checked the time on the wall clock and turned to Jo.

"Of course. He won't be back until tomorrow morning." Henry raised a finger and shook it as he walked towards his office and postulated. "According to Lucas, he woke up in a bookstore after the building vanished. He then went home, went to sleep, and came into work the next morning." He placed one hand on the edge of his desk and his fist on his hip as he recalled what Lucas had told him. "Then his time loop begins again shortly after that."

"Except that he also said he'd seen a boarded up movie theater across the street from the bookstore with "Hall of Wonder" on the marquee." Jo's eyes widened as she looked at Henry. "Do you think that that might have something to do with what's going on?"

"I also don't think that Lucas was even aware we were there, Jo. He never interacted with us at all. It seems that he would have been grateful or relieved to have seen us there after his escape."

"So...what are you saying, Henry?"

He'd reached a most unsettling conclusion but feared sharing it with Jo would needlessly upset her. He forced a smile on his face as he looked at her and suggested that there wasn't much that could be done at this late hour. "I suggest we go home and go to bed." He was quickly horrified at his slip of the tongue.

Jo blushed a deep red as he hurriedly explained, "I mean go to our own, separate homes and go to our...own, separate...beds." He was breathless with embarrassment.

Jo recovered and said, "Don't worry, Henry, I knew what you meant." She smiled and turned to leave, but not before offering him a ride home. To _his_ home.

He looked around the morgue and decided it would be a good idea to take her up on her offer.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Abraham?" Henry called to his son as he locked the shop's door back and walked up the stairs to the second floor living quarters.

"Up here in the kitchen, Henry. We got company." Abe informed him.

Much to Henry's surprise (and relief), he found Lucas Wahl seated at their kitchen table. His young assistant had a troubled look on his face, however.

"Hey, Doc." Lucas smiled and raised a hand to him. Henry returned the gesture.

"Lucas. And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Henry asked cheerily as he peeled off layers of outerwear down to his dress shirt and took his usual place at the table.

Lucas made a fist with one hand and patted it with the other as he searched for the right words. "You're gonna think I'm crazy." he began. He eyed Abe, then Henry, then his hands again.

"Take your time, Lucas." Henry said gently. He stole a glance at Abe who shrugged quickly and turned his attention back to a simmering pot of Korean Spinach Soup.

"You already don't believe me about the time loop thing I'm caught up in, I know, but..." he met Henry's eyes with such a look of desperation. "It, it was different today. Just a little bit."

"How different, Lucas?" Henry squinted at him with a growing sense of uneasiness.

"Well...this time...I mean...when I managed to get out of that building through the window...," he swallowed and licked his lips, "you and Det. Martinez were there." He looked from Abe to Henry again, the worry etched on his young face. "At least...I think you guys were there." Lucas leaned forward with his elbows on the table and thrust his hands in his hair.

"Lucas." Henry reached over and patted his arm when he failed to respond. "Lucas...we were there." he said in the quietest of voices.

Lucas slowly lowered his hands and lifted his face up. "Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my...I thought the whole thing was a dream but it was wrong because you guys hadn't been there before." A smile finally broke out on his face and then faded as he realized an uneasy truth. "If you guys were there, then that means..."

"Jo and I are now a part of the time loop you're living, Lucas."

The three men silently pondered the gravity of the situation and came up with no ready answers.

"What now, Doc?"

"Yeah, Henry," Abe chimed in, "what now?"

Henry leaned back in his chair and placed the top of his fist against his mouth and whispered, "Yes...what now, indeed?"


	3. A Day at the Not-So-Fun Park 3 to 8

4

Summary: Partially inspired by the 1963 movie and cult classic, "Carnival of Souls". Just because it was a fun park that turned out to be not so much fun.

 _"Jo and I are now a part of the time loop you're living, Lucas."_

 _"What now, Doc?"_

 _Henry...whispered, "Yes...what now, indeed?"_

vvvv

Lucas and Abe studied Henry as his eyes travelled back and forth, up and around; his brain struggling to make sense of their baffling situation: caught in a time loop. He eventually sat straight up in his chair, inhaled and exhaled quickly, and announced, "Well, the first thing we're going to do is have dinner." Lucas and Abe frowned at him, then at each other. "First rule of survival." he explained. "We're not going to be able to give full consideration to all possibilities to end this," he paused and placed his napkin on his lap, "until we end our hunger."

Abe grimaced and shook his head as he turned back to the stove. He grabbed three bowls from the cupboard.

"Here, lemme help." Lucas said as he jumped up and stood near Abe. Abe smiled at him as the three men formed a culinary assemblyline. Abe ladled, Lucas passed the bowls to Henry, who in turn, placed one in front of each chair. The assemblyline completed, they each sat down and began to eat.

"This is great, Mister - Mister - ?" Lucas realized that he didn't know Abe's last name. He looked from Abe to Henry for enlightenment.

"Abe. Everyone calls me Abe." he smiled. "Except this guy." He pointed his butter knife at Henry. "He takes the long route with my name." Abe mugged at Henry, playfully. Lucas chuckled.

"Well, I understand that your father named you Abraham, not Abe." He lowered his head and shot a playful look back at Abe. "If I were you," he pointed his own butter knife back at Abe, "I'd work on being proud of my name instead of chopping it off at the knees."

Abe made a face and grunted, "Well, my father was kind of oldfashioned." He ignored Henry's look of indignation as he resumed his meal.

Lucas chuckled again and stirred his soup. "Just think. If we don't find a way out of this time loop, you guys are gonna relive this argument of Abe versus Abraham - forever." He stared into his soup as he slowly stirred it.

Henry looked at Abe, then sympathetically at Lucas. "Try to eat something, Lucas. We'll discuss this after dinner and try to come up with a strategy."

Lucas continued to stare at his soup and didn't respond at first. He sighed and started to say something, then closed his mouth again. He dropped the spoon into his soup and his hands into his lap. "It's just that...I feel it's all my fault." He looked sadly up at Henry. "I called out sick to go to the carnival but I wasn't sick." He sighed. "I lied my way in and now I - (he scoffed) - can't find my way out."

Henry and Abe traded concerned looks.

"To make matters worse - you guys are dragged in with me!" His voice rose as he leaned forward and placed his head in one hand.

"We will figure this out, Lucas." Henry adamantly promised. "Don't worry." He picked up his spoon again. "Now, please eat something. We've got work to do." He stuffed a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

He'd taken the same "no-nonsense" tone with his young assistant in the past in order to get him to focus on the matter at hand. He hoped it would work this time, too, as he almost attacked his bread with butter and bit heartily into it.

Lucas sighed, nodded a few times, and resumed his meal. "You're right, boss." He followed Henry's lead and generously buttered his bread and took a hearty bite.

They finished their meal with lighter topics of conversation, then cleared the table and piled the dishes in the sink. No need to wash them, Abe wryly commented, since they'll all be automatically clean by tomorrow.

As they discussed their situation and possible exit routes, their landline phone rang and Henry answered it.

"Hello, Detective." He smiled broadly and bounced on his tiptoes with one hand shoved down into his pocket.

Abe smiled as he noticed how much lighter his father's mood became whenever she called or was in his presence. He was glad that a woman such as Jo was now in his father's life, even if the two of them continually denied their true feelings for each other. It was on his bucket list to somehow get these two together.

(Hey, Henry. I was thinking about what happened today at that carnival and a few things kinda bothered me. Well, all of it bothered me.)

"Understandable." he replied. "What sort of things?" he asked, his concern evident.

(Some things that you said and...did all the carnies look old to you?)

Not exactly, he chuckled to himself. "Hmm, well, if you mean they all seemed to be more suited to the environment of a retirement community, yes. But many people today choose to remain employed years beyond normal retirement age." Himself, included, he silently noted.

(Okay...but what made me get the fog brain all of a sudden like that?)

"Yes, I was quite concerned for you at the time." His brow knitted. "How are you feeling now?"

(Physically, I'm fine, but...)

"But what? What's wrong, Jo?" He snatched his hand out of his pocket and held the receiver with both hands now. "Do you need me to come take a look at you?" His concern growing.

(No, no, it's just this bad feeling that I can't seem to shake. Would it...be allright if...I came over there?)

"Of course, but are you sure you feel well enough to drive, Jo?" He asked, his concern calmed a bit.

(You're right. I'll take a cab. See you in a few)

"Right. Look forward to seeing you." He hung up the phone, shoved his hands back down into his pockets, and walked back into the room with a satisfied smile on his face. He seated himself once again in one of the straightback chairs near the couch and ignored the looks of mild amusement on the other two men's faces. Henry was aware that his son would like nothing better than for him to forge a more meaningful relationship with the lovely young detective. He was also keenly aware that Lucas felt that their coupling would be Awe-summ. He rolled his eyes at that word.

"She coming over?" Abe asked softly with raised eyebrows and a slight smile.

Henry coughed to clear his throat and picked up his cup of tea again. "Jo has some concerns about our experience at the carnival earlier today. And, yes, she's taking a cab and will be here shortly." His calm exterior hid his excitement of her pending arrival. But not just because of his feelings for her.

"You really like her, don't you?" Abe teased, his smile broadening.

"You see it, too?" Lucas delightedly asked Abe.

Henry frowned and shifted his weight uncomfortably in his seat. "She has her own way of looking at a given situation and is usually able to provide valuable input for a positive resolution. I may enjoy solving puzzles, but frankly, her crime-solving expertise is needed in order to help unwrap this mystery." He took another sip of his tea and continued to avoid their laughing eyes.

"Yeah. Needed." Abe grinned and winked at Lucas. "That's the key word."

Lucas ducked his head and did his best to hide his grin from his boss' darkening countenance. He then tried to run interference for him. "Abe, I don't...think he...likes you teasing him."

Abe raised an eyebrow and leaned towards Lucas. "Look, he might be able to fire you, but he can't fire me." He raised back up and shot a smug smile at his much perturbed father.

Henry calmly placed his cup back on the saucer and clasped his hands together in his lap. He looked over his brows at Abe. "Now, if you are quite finished, perhaps we can get back down to the business of trying to solve our little time problem? Hmm?" Abe relented and nodded.

Lucas nodded and poured himself another cup of the chamomille tea, which did much to help calm him. Also, his visit with his boss and his roommate helped to alay his fears, somewhat, regarding his - their - time problem, as Henry referred to it. He was really glad that he'd come over and looked forward to Det. Martinez's company and input.

Henry pulled his watch from his pocket, frowned slightly at the time, snapped it shut, and tucked it back into his pocket. Just then, a knock was heard at the shop's door and he jumped out of his seat and moved quickly down the stairs to the shop's front door. "I'll get it. Must be Jo." he threw over his shoulder.

Lucas smiled at Henry's retreating form and turned to Abe. "I don't know why the big guy doesn't just jump her bones. He's obviously thirsty for her so what's the big problem? He's running out of time, if you ask me. Det. Martinez is hot and some other guy might crowd him out if he doesn't hurry up."

Abe winced at his words but he couldn't deny that the young man voiced his own sentiments. Even so, he forced a weak smile and suddenly wished he'd gone to answer the door. "Well, his concept of time differs from most everybody else's."

"Tide and time wait for no man." Lucas quietly quoted the ancient line.

Abe stiffened at the partially prophetic reference. 'Except for Dad.'

Jo waved at Henry from the other side of the door as he advanced towards her. She smiled and quickly stepped in once the door was open.

"Sorry if this is an inconvenience, Henry." she apologized while he closed and locked the door.

"Not at all, Detective." he reassured her with a smile. "We're, uh, upstairs." he said with an upward motion of his arm.

"Come on up, Jo." Abe called down.

As she cleared the top of the stairs, Abe was waiting. He stepped back to let her pass. "Ya hungry? Got some soup if you want some."

She thanked him and shook her head, saying she'd already eaten. Henry motioned for her to enter the sitting room and she sat next to Lucas on the couch.

"So, all of us, huh?" She shared a somber look with each of the men.

The conversation took on a serious tone as they compared notes for the next four hours. They discovered that the time loop, or whatever it was, had affected each of them in separate ways.

"Lucas, you said when you woke up in the bookstore...you had been reading "Carnival of Fear", right?" Jo queried.

"Uh, yeah." He leaned forward. "I thought it just somehow got into my dream." He closed his eyes and shook his head, then his eyes popped open. "You think that book has something to do with all of this?" The young man became clearly excited as he considered something. "Like something out of-"

"-one of your graphic novels, Lucas?" Henry finished.

"No, I was gonna say like out of a Stephen King novel." Lucas spoke very animatedly as he schooled his superior. "I mean there are obviously some pret-tee we-yerd things that go on in this world, Doc. Things we can only imagine." His head swiveled from one to the other as he spoke. "This time loop is one of them." He gave a quick laugh and shook his head in wonder. "What are the odds of something this crazy ever happening, eh, Doc?"

Henry exchanged a quick glance with his son before he replied. "Yes," he drew out, "what are the odds, indeed?"

"I say we go check that bookstore out and see exactly what's in that "Carnival of Fear" book." Jo said.

"Perhaps Lucas should be the one to do that," Henry nodded at him, "since he's the one who began us on this journey in the first place." He looked apologetically at Lucas. "Sorry."

Lucas waved a hand dismissively, then snapped his fingers. ""Why not just buy it and bring it back here so we all can take a look at it?"

"Or - just google it?" Abe suggested.

"No. We need the actual book." Henry replied, convinced that tangible evidence was always best. "There must be some mystery about it that an online version would never unfold."

"You up for another fun day at the park, Henry?" Jo widened her eyes in mock terror.

He shuddered. "No. Let's first get the book...and go from there." It angered him to think that their fates weren't held by something more than just a shoddy publication that contained the spew of an overactive imagination.

They stayed up most of the night and viewed their unfortunate situation from as many angles as possible. Even though sunrise was only a few hours away, none of them felt sleep deprived. It also comforted them that Lucas would procure the book on their behalf so it could be studied.

"You guys got cable?" Lucas asked.

"My room." Abe replied. He motioned for Lucas to follow him.

"Great. Last few 'Taxi' marathon episodes are on." He said as he followed Abe to his room and the welcome distraction of TV.

"You binge watch that, too, eh?" Abe asked as they disappeared down the hall.

Jo and Henry smiled awkwardly at each other in the suddenly silent room. She walked over to the window and looked out.

"Not much of a view, Henry. An alley and part of the street." she jokingly observed.

He softly chuckled as he walked over to join her. He leaned against the wall next to the window. "Tell that to Abe. He's the owner."

"I'm...I'm...kind of afraid, Henry." Her voice shuddered as she covered her mouth with her hand.

He stepped closer to her, concern written all over his face.

She suddenly turned to him. "Will we even remember all of this tomorrow?" She shook her head and closed her eyes as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"Jo-"

"What good is it going to do for Lucas to get the book?" her voice shuddered with fear and anger.

He tried again to calm her.

"What's going to happen when the sun rises to a new day? Only it won't be a new day, it'll be the same day, over and over and over..." her voice choked with sobs.

He gently held her in his arms and stroked the back of her hair. But words failed him now in his desperate need to comfort her. What was he to say? That it's not so bad being stuck in limbo? Not so bad being forced to endure a never ending existence? That he'd done it for over 200 years so she could do it, too?

She turned her cheek to his shoulder and stared out the window again. "If we don't find a way out - I'd rather die than live like this." She pulled back from him and looked sorrowfully up at him. "Can you even imagine, Henry?" She buried her face in his chest and muffled her tears there.

He chose not to answer. Anything he said would be of no comfort to her. For now, their slim hopes hung on possible answers from a silly book. Absent that, at least they wouldn't have to endure this strange existence alone. And in these one or two hours before sunrise, they clung to each other and found silent comfort there.

vvvv

Sunrise 7:08 a.m., Day 3...

Abe was right about one thing. The unwashed dishes from the previous night were somehow miraculously back in the cupboard, clean and unused. There was no evidence at all that his father and he had entertained guests the night before. And even though he and young Lucas Wahl had stayed up and binge-watched "Taxi" episodes until 5:00 a.m., he was suddenly alone in his room at sunrise, the dawn of a new day. New? Well...dawn, anyway. At least he was alive and well...and hungry.

He followed his usual morning routine and made his way to the kitchen to start breakfast. He stopped outside his father's bedroom door and listened. When he heard the shower going, he sighed in relief. Dad was okay. He was still here. Besides the shower, he heard...singing? Was that because of a certain doe-eyed female detective? Abe pressed his clasped hands to his smiling lips. Whatever it took to get his father back into the world of the living was fine with him. Even if it occurred within the confines of a continuous time loop.

vvvv

Jo opened her eyes and found herself on her couch in the same clothes she had worn the day before. That is, before she got caught in this time loop. She'd fallen asleep on the couch while watching that travel show where the host traipsed around the world and tried to find hidden treasures or unravel mysteries. 'Have I got a mystery for you.' she thought.

She was thankful that the memories of her activities of the previous day (the time loop day) were intact. How would that be helpful, though? she wondered. Nothing left to do, she realized, but to get herself cleaned up and get to work. At least after staying up all night, she wasn't sleepy. And she had felt so nice and safe in Henry's arms. She closed her eyes in the shower and recalled the very nice feel of his slim, muscular frame through his clothes. How his masculine scent enticed her. And the feel of his large but gentle hands as he'd held her and stroked her hair in an effort to comfort her.

Now, just stop right there, she admonished herself. All these feelings were probably just a result of some sort of weird bonding process with fellow victims. Nothing more. He wasn't interested in a relationship with her. He'd made it perfectly clear that they were just partners. Professionally. And he'd never asked her out on a date. Had never shown any interest in her outside of work. Although...last night when he'd held her, comforted her...

"Grrrr, concentrate, Martinez!" she demanded of herself out loud. "Work. Time Loop. Solve!"

vvvv

Lucas paced outside the precinct and stopped periodically to glance at his watch. He firmly clutched the slim volume he'd purchased that morning from the "Books of Mystery" bookstore. A mystery, for sure, he sadly thought to himself. He stopped to check his watch again and quickly peeped inside the covers of the book, "Carnival of Fear", and just as quickly slammed the book shut. The book didn't even feel right in his hands. It gave him the creepy crawlies, like he was holding a bag of worms or bugs or something nasty like that. Henry and Jo couldn't get there fast enough for him. He wanted to pass the creepy book over to them as quickly as he could.

"Oh, thank God." He let out a deep sigh of relief when he finally saw his boss and the detective walk up to the precinct doors. He quickly closed the distance between them.

"Lucas. Were you able to procure the book?" Henry opened the door for Jo and all three of them stepped inside. He was grateful that Jo's earlier fears were not realized upon sunrise. That their previous day's memories would be wiped out and, therefore, all their planning. And it pleased him to be able to recall how nice it felt to finally hold her close...in his arms. If he were to be totally honest with himself, he wouldn't mind living inside an eternal time loop if it meant sharing it with her. If that was the only way to be with her since she'd made it very clear that their relationship was strictly professional. But after seeing the looks of desperation in his two companions' eyes, he immediately felt guilty for having entertained such selfish thoughts. 'Concentrate on the matter at hand, Morgan.'

"Right here, Doc." He thrust it at Henry but he refused to take it.

"No, no, no, no, Lucas. You are the one who was reading it. You must continue where you left off in order to find out what happens next or," he looked uncertainly at Jo and then back at Lucas, "how we can work ourselves out of this."

Jo eyed him disappointedly because she had looked forward to examining the book herself. But instead of agreeing with her most knowledgeable, unofficial partner, she decided to speak up.

"Um, Henry, I think we should all read it together. Probably should have had Abe here, too."

Henry at first wanted to protest but thought better of it since no one was sure of the precise time Lucas would "blink out" and they would each be dragged back into another day at the carnival. The three of them virtually skittered from the elevator and into his office. Jo closed the blinds while Henry locked the door. Then all three huddled around the book as it lay on his desk and Lucas leafed to the page he'd last read. They all frowned disappointedly at what they found.

"Lucas, all the rest of the pages are blank."

Lucas frantically leafed through the rest of the book again and again. "I don't know what happened." he whispered as he continued his desperate search for worded pages. "I don't know what happened." he whispered again.

"They must have sold you a misprinted copy." Jo reasoned.

"No! I leafed through the book while they rung it up. And this was the only copy in the store. This book had normal words and pictures in it all the way through to the end!" He ran his hands over his hair and down his face.

"Stop a bit." Henry said with his 'Aha moment' voice and expression. "Perhaps this book was never meant to leave the bookstore." There was a strange twinkle in his eyes that seemed oddly out of place, given the direness of their situation. "Tomorrow, Lucas, you go directly to the bookstore and read the book there, no need to purchase it, I suppose. In fact, all three of us should meet there and read the book." He wasn't quite sure, though, but it was worth a try.

"What'll we do in the meantime?" Jo asked, her eyes pierced Henry's.

He looked woefully at both of them. "Wait for Lucas' blink out moment."

Lucas and Jo nodded, resigned to their fate.

"And, Lucas. Meet Jo and me at the carnival's Security Office. Do not hover at the ring toss as before."

Lucas stared into space and didn't respond.

"Lucas!" Henry raised his voice in an effort to get through to the young man.

"Oh, no." Jo groaned. "He's totally gone again."

Henry walked around the desk and rejoined his companions. He put his arm around both of them and Jo did likewise to Lucas and him. They huddled with the unresponsive Lucas and closed their eyes.

vvvv

The gravel under their feet crunched loudly as they made their way up to the carnival's entrance.

"Jo, remember not to flash your badge and whatever-"

"I remember, Henry." She stopped walking, amazed at her revelation. "I - remember! We want to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible." She smiled broadly at him. "If we can remember what we did yesterday, we won't repeat any mistakes. Let's see...okay, we're supposed to pay and enter as regular patrons."

"Yes." Henry replied. "No need to alert them to our presence just yet. Have a look around," he waved his hand in a small circle, "see what we can see." He grinned as he repeated his words and movements from the prior day.

"Do you think Lucas will remember to meet us at the Security Office and not go to the ring toss?" Jo asked, a worried expression on her face.

"I certainly hope so, but..."

"But what? What, Henry?"

"Since he is leading us on this journey, I don't believe he'll even be aware of us. Just as he wasn't yesterday." Henry sadly informed her.

"Well, I'm startin' to get really pissed." Jo spat the words out and kicked at the gravel. She put her hand on her weapon and looked ahead at the carnival entrance. "How 'bout I just go and arrest everybody?"

"Jo, get a hold of yourself." Henry warned. They resumed their approach to the carnival's entrance and fell in line. "At least this is a shorter line than the one yesterday." Jo said nothing. "And isn't it nice that we just popped here all of a sudden? No dodging through heavy traffic and such." Jo glared at him, he shrugged and became silent.

Once inside the carnival, Henry advised Jo to avoid the tunnel of love attraction, lest she experience the same ill feelings as yesterday. "We both have to maintain a clear head and keep an eye out for Lucas." He looked ahead of them and pointed to the Security Office. "There. We need to go there and wait until we see Lucas." They hurriedly made their way there.

"What if Lucas just doesn't see us, Henry, like we're invisible to him or something?" Jo asked a bit despondently.

Henry eyed his partner sympathetically. It's not like her to be so despairing. He realized that this situation was beginning to wear on her. "Have faith, Detective. We'll find a way out of this." He gave her the most encouraging smile he could muster up and hoped she wouldn't see the fray at the edges. "Why don't you stay here and see if Mr. and Mrs. Freeman show up and I'll try to intercept Lucas at the ring toss right over there?" She nodded and he walked the short distance to mingle with the onlookers at the ring toss booth.

Just then, a casually dressed young couple approached the door of the Security Office. The Detective exchanged looks with the M.E.; she then stepped to the side but remained near.

The man was apparently Paul Freeman, a tall, dark-skinned, African-American man in his early 30's, with a football player build, and long, neatly coiffed dreadlocks. A scowl further darkened his handsome features as he strode determinedly up to the office.

'He looks like a man on a mission.' Jo silently observed.

In his wake was an obviously distraught, young, fair-skinned, African-American woman who must have been Betty, his wife. Like her husband, she was tall with a head full of carefully tended-to natural curls. Her pretty face was pinched with anxiety, her hazel eyes glistened with tears.

Paul tried the office door only to find that it was locked. He then banged his fist on the door a few times. After a couple of seconds of silence, he jiggled and yanked at the door handle again, then banged on the door again and yelled to get someone's attention inside. Just as Jo decided to step in and offer assistance (without blowing her cover, of course), the door opened and the Security Manager stepped out. The couple began to alert the manager to their son's disappearance into the Hall of Wonder, while the manager calmly nodded and motioned for two uniformed security guards to join them. Jo pretended to be on her cell phone, but in reality, listened intently to the group's conversation.

When the Security Manager and the two guards denied the existence of any such attraction as the Hall of Wonder to the couple, they became livid with anger. Jo realized that it was right about this time, according to Lucas' recollections and Henry's and her observation the previous loop day, for Lucas to inch closer to the group. She glanced over towards the ring toss and spotted Lucas standing behind Henry. She gestured to Henry and silently mouthed 'Lucas' in order to alert him to his presence. Henry quickly understood what her movements implied and looked over his right shoulder at his young assistant, who seemed oblivious to him.

They both watched the lanky young assistant as he became aware of the couple's raised voices. Henry turned around full circle as he gazed in awe at Lucas who edged closer to the couple and the embattled security personnel. Why doesn't Lucas see him, he wondered. After all, they were only inches apart. Henry hovered near him like white on rice, as he'd often heard Lucas and even his son say. He made eye contact with Jo, nodded, and she gave the appearance of sauntering nonchalantly over towards them. He quickly shifted his eyes back to Lucas as Paul Freeman shouted something at the security guards and he and his wife broke into a run. Based on previous events, he knew they were headed towards the Hall of Wonder, the building they'd claimed had swallowed up their son, Mark. Jo caught his attention again as she moved within arm's length of him. In that split second, Lucas took off after the couple and he and Jo sprinted after him.

The couple had enough of a head start that they once again vanished into the building, their desperate voices echoed and faded away. Lucas' youth, longer legs and more comfortable running shoes allowed him to cover the ground more swiftly and reach the building's entrance before either Henry or Jo. For the first time, Henry cursed his leather shoes more suited for show than running, but he knew that Jo was having an even harder time keeping up in her two-inch heels.

Finally, though, he was within reach of Lucas, who hesitated at the door's entrance. Henry's lungs burned and his heart raced, but he picked up his pace, stretched out an arm, and just as he was about to slow down and grab Lucas back from the opening, he stumbled over - something - and pitched forward so violently that both he and Lucas tumbled into the building! What?! They were both inside now. Blast!

The two men groaned as they untangled themselves and slowly rose to their feet. They both brushed themselves off and privately assessed any possible injuries to be minor.

Jo pounced on the door just as it shut. She banged on it and called repeatedly to them. She stopped briefly when she swore she heard them yelling. The next thing she knew, Lucas was falling out of a window next to the door. Had she seen that window? She couldn't recall seeing any windows as they'd approached the building. But Lucas had definitely climbed out of one.

Both Lucas and Jo backed away from the building and watched in awe as it vanished right in front of them. Only a grassy field remained and no signs that any structure had ever been on it.

When Jo looked at Lucas, he was staring at her as if seeing her for the first time. She was ecstatic that this time he was finally aware of her presence, but dismayed that Henry had not made it out of the building. He was still trapped inside, along with the Freeman family. She and Lucas suddenly found themselves alone in an empty field. The booths, the people, nothing remained. It was as if they had never existed at all.

"Ohhhh, Lucas, let's get out of here."

"Yeah, but, but where did you come from?"

"Never mind, Lucas, just run!"

They quickly ran to Jo's car but her hands shook as she struggled with the keys.

"Use the remote!" Lucas shouted impatiently.

"Grrrr!" She pressed a small button on her key chain that had an unlocked padlock icon on it, and the doors automatically unlocked. Now, why hadn't she remembered that from the day before? They jumped in and she sped away towards the precinct. During the drive, she called Abe and told him what had happened to Henry. He was strangely quiet before he answered.

"Ah, thank you, Jo. I'm sure he'll do a Lucas and pop back up tomorrow morning. I'll, I'll...talk to you later, okay?" and he hung up.

Jo looked curiously at her phone and pushed the end call button. "Odd." She wondered why he hadn't sounded as upset as she'd thought he would be. "Very odd."

"What?"

"I don't know. Something strange." She tapped the steering wheel with one finger as she waited at a red light.

Lucas chuckled. "Stranger than this?" he spread his hands.

"No, normal strange." she chuckled. "If there is such a thing." The light turned green and she proceeded across the intersection, then turned left when she normally would have turned right to head back to the precinct.

"Where we headed?" Lucas asked.

"Abe's." She looked at Lucas. "We've gotta brainstorm again."

Lucas nodded and grinned. "Okay. Okay. I can do Abe's home cooking again." Then realization and a really bad feeling washed over him. "Abe's gonna be pretty upset that we lost his - his - what is Henry to Abe, anyway? I never got the full story, so busy fillin' muh greedy gut with Abe's good cooking and listening to their funny stories."

"Oh, they said that they're some kind of family, distant family, I don't know." Although, looking back, they did seem to hem and haw before they offered that weak explanation. Even so, she'd let it rest. One day Henry would let her in, she'd thought for a while, but he never had. If only he would. If only he would. The man was so...so...he confused her so. He irritated her, excited her, angered her, comforted her. She'd felt so safe in his arms last night. It felt so right and yet...he was content to keep their relationship at arm's length. Who was she kidding? Normally, he wouldn't have touched her with a ten-foot pole. He had been so tender and gentle with her last night. Why couldn't he...? Oh, grrrrr, she could just scream. Just slap him and scream. And now...now, he was...vanished. Get a grip, girl. The man will show up tomorrow morning like this morning. He'll just suddenly POP! back.

She sighed as they pulled up to the shop and she parked. They leaned back, closed their eyes and tried to put a damper on their fears. Then they sadly looked at each other. "Henry." they quietly chimed in stereo.

"Abe's probably beside himself, really." Lucas quietly speculated.

"At least we know Henry'll be back tomorrow morning."

Where in the world had he and the Freeman family vanished to? Would he be able to recall his experience tomorrow morning? The prospect of never seeing him again wrenched at her heart. And she had to admit she had feelings for the quirky guy. 'Wherever you are, Henry, please stay safe. Come back to us. To me.'

"Let's go fill Abe in on today's events at the Horror Show." Jo said reluctantly. "Not gonna call it a carnival because it sounds too pleasant. That place really sucks."

vvvv

"Hello?" Henry called out. He was in the middle of a dense, white fog that reminded him of the dense London fogs in his English homeland. But his feet met a hard surface like a floor so he was - inside, somewhere. With his arms extended in front of him, he slowly felt his way along. It was ominously quiet and he didn't like it all. If this was one of Adam's games... He abandoned the thought because Adam was still trapped in his hospital bed at Bellevue. Wasn't he? Henry sighed and maintained his inchworm progress to where, he didn't know. He called out a few more times but received no reply. He stopped and slapped his hands down onto his pants legs and only then became aware of his sweaty palms. He rubbed them quickly on his pants to dry them, sighed, and slowly resumed his slow, uncertain journey.

After several long minutes, the sound of a high-pitched voice and the mingled laughter of many caught his ear and guided him forward. The dense fog began to clear and he soon found himself walking down a long corridor with high, white walls and polished marble floors. He eventually entered a large, wood-panelled room, with a high, domed ceiling. He craned his neck back and watched in awe above him, as a slow carousel of typed letters, both upper and lower case, spun around the domed ceiling.

"You!" A high-pitched, munchkin-like voice barked at him. "You're not supposed to be here!"

Henry jerked his head down and around to find the owner of the voice.

"I said you're not supposed to be here!" A diminutive figure in a white jumpsuit and black tam, no more than three feet tall, perched atop a bar stool and typed feverishly on a five-level keyboard. It was connected to a large, metal, box-shaped device, gold in color and the size of an old style pipe organ. It was adorned with knobs and buttons of various shapes and sizes and the console lights flashed intermittently on and off. "You must leave! Now! No one is allowed here!" The small person of dubious gender, continued to point an accusing finger at Henry, but never lifted their eyes from their task.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't ask to be here. It was...an accident." Henry managed to stammer out.

"Accident?" The figure finally turned and looked him up and down. "Another accident!" They turned back to their feverish typing. "Not responsible. You must leave. I've got my hands full already with these other - accidents." A sigh of exasperation. "Go! Now!" The accusing finger pointed at Henry again.

Henry was determined to get answers and was fast losing his patience. "Look, I have no idea where I am, so you can't expect me to just leave!" His voice trembled as he worked to stem the tide of his anger. "Who are you? What is this place? Where is this place?" he demanded. The high-pitched laughter seemed to surround him. "And where in blazes is that laughter coming from?" He spun on his heels and his head swiveled as his eyes searched the room for the embodiment of the laughter.

"Questions! Always questions! Accidents. Ohhhhh..." The tiny entity moaned and banged a lever down and halted their feverish typing. The overhead carousel of letters slowly continued to circle, though. The entity grunted and twisted around on the barstool to face Henry, their hands on their knees. "You're different." The entity jumped off the barstool but walked in the air over to Henry. He backed away cautiously.

"Oh, don't be afraid of me. And I am not a Who, I am an It. You can call me Writer's Block."

Henry frowned over his eyebrows at the entity. "You say you're not a person, not a living person, but-"

"Just call me Block. Everybody does." Block turned and walked back to the barstool and keyboard. "You shouldn't have followed your friend, Lucas, into the Hall of Wonder."

"I didn't follow-"

"The story isn't finished. And those other - accidents -" Block typed at lightning speed on all five levels of the keyboard and banged a square, green button on the console, "are finally gone!" Block turned and smiled at Henry. "The Freeman family."

"The...the mother and father and their little boy, Mark?"

"Yes," Block replied, more than a little relieved, "they're free, ha ha. Freeman family free!" Block grinned and applauded. "Weren't supposed to be there in the first place - like you." Block punches an accusing finger in Henry's direction. "All taken care of now, though. Poof! Out of the story, out of the loop."

Henry smiled in amazement. "So they never should have been there, either." He looked up at Block. "And the others? My friends?"

"Poof! Abe and Lucas out of the story, out of the loop." Block reassured him.

"What about J- my partner, the detective? And me?"

"Oops. Can't do anything for you until you two face facts, Henry." Block folded their arms across their front and smiled smugly at him.

"Face. Facts?" Henry squinted at Block.

"That you and Detective Jo Martinez are in love with each other." Henry protested but Block continued. "Part of what I do is to make sure, ummm, certain events unfold in order to achieve a, ummm, most beneficial ending. Most beneficial ending." Block repeated with a raised finger. "You see, once someone 'accidentally' invades a story, it creates a time loop for them. It's then up to me to clean up the 'accidents' by extricating them from the story. Follow?"

"No, but...continue, please."

"What else did you think this was?" Block asked, then sighed deeply and turned again to face Henry. "The letters." Block pointed a finger upward. "Those are all the letters, words, phrases plucked out the heartfelt thoughts of writers. All kinds of writers everywhere. They get stuck sometimes and attribute it to writer's block." Block leaned forward with a gleam in their black button eyes. "Their need to be freed from Writer's Block eventually created me. Since the dawn of time, mankind has created things either with their hands or their minds. Music, painting, sculpture, dance, writing. Now, that's where I come in." Block jumped off the barstool again but this time floated straight up near the floating cavalcade of letters. "A few of them get stuck together sometimes, but after a few pokes here and there, they pop loose and rejoin the flow." Block descended back down to perch once again on the barstool. "From time to time, I have to intercede for those blocked writers so they can continue their stories. If anyone like you accidentally invades the story, it's up to me to get you out, out, OUT."

"Your voice has a duality of tones as if two different people were speaking. Are you male or female?" Henry asked. "Or both? And where does the laughter emanate from?

"Questions!" Block scowled. "I'm actually both. It isn't just males who write, you know! But if you feel the need to refer to me as one or the other, I'm a she." Block's eyes danced with mirth. "I understand that you like the ladies, Henry." Block slowly turned back to the keyboard but watched Henry's reaction out of the corner of her eye. "The laughter is from the enjoyment of the readers."

"What readers?" Henry's eyes shifted all around the room as he spun around on his heels.

"Billions upon trillions upon zillions upon, upon, the forever of them since the dawn of time. People enjoy reading, they burst into laughter at different points because the writer's words have managed to entertain them. What you hear, dear Henry, is the laughter of the ages. Laughter from then and now, all together, all at once."

"How do you know my name?"

"You're one of the immortals, Henry. We all know your name."

Henry's jaw dropped to the floor. "We? Are, are there more like me besides - "

"Besides the one you call - well, let's not utter his name, lest he becomes another 'accident' I shall have to remove. Trust me. You do not want him in this story. Or any story." Block rolled her eyes. "I wish I could tell you his true name, though. But the meaning of it is God will judge. And boy, will he be judged." Block scoffed.

"Where are the other immortals, then?" Henry asked desperately.

"You'll meet them when the time is right." Block cast a sympathetic look to Henry and smiled. "Don't worry."

"Do you know why I am ... the way I am?" Henry quietly asked.

"Hmmm...your story is written in another book, Henry. In the most special book there is. You should be proud for you were chosen."

"Chosen?" Henry was shocked. "By whom? Who did this to me?"

"Why, the most special person there is, was, or shall ever be, Henry. Your name, your purpose, is written in a most special book that I am not allowed to alter." Block studied Henry, who appeared both astounded and confused. "The being of all beings, Henry. He has many names. Yahweh, for one. Oh, and Jehovah. You know." Block turned her attention back to the keyboard and peered at the bells and whistles on the console. "You may believe you are cursed, Henry, but you're not." Block turned back to face him and smiled. "You are most blessed."

Henry furrowed his brow and pondered her words. He found them hard to accept. After two centuries of pain, heartache, and loneliness, it simply didn't make sense to him. He reluctantly determined to review his thoughts and feelings on the matter of his immortality once he was "out of the story, out of the loop", as Block stated. He'd never considered himself to be a religious man, but ... if Block were telling the truth ...

"I sense that you are preparing your instrumentation to extricate me and Jo from this story, and therefore, from the time loop we're caught in."

"True, true." Block confirmed as she flipped several levers and pressed a finger on a small, yellow, doorbell-shaped button. "Won't be more than a minute."

"Please. You said that the two of us should face the fact that...that we are..."

"In love, Henry, In. Love!" Block finished. "Listen to your son! He knows!"

Henry lowered his head and blushed. Then he smiled and looked up at Block again. "So, you're ready to send me off, right? What do you suggest Jo and I do once we find ourselves back at the carnival?"

"Be sure to take her into that little boat ride, Cupid's something or other."

"But she became ill just standing near that attraction."

"Because she is fighting her feelings, same as you, Henry. Give into them. Explain it all to her as I've explained it to you."

"What if she - "

"Time's a wasting, Henry, although you have all the time in the world." Block smiled knowingly at him again. In a flash, the smile turned into a serious expression. "But Jo does not. So!" Block banged a blue, star-shaped button on the console, which caused two separate rungs of letters to shrink and float down and circle around Henry. "I'm giving the two of you a couple hours ahead of sunrise, just to make sure you get this done."

Henry stared uncertainly at the letters that encircled him and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He closed his eyes and held his breath as Block's voice wished him luck and bid him a faint and distant farewell.

vvvv

5:08 a.m., Day 4...

Henry's eyes opened and he sat straight up in bed. His own bed. In his own room. This delighted him immensely. He was no longer in that strange room, just as Block had promised. He grinned and jumped out of bed and happily gathered his thoughts on how he would convince Jo to join him in the tunnel of love attraction. It was imperative that he convince her, though. Everyone else was extricated from the story/time loop except the two of them.

Shower, shower, yes. Eat breakfast. Get to Jo. "No. Call her now." he reasoned. "She shouldn't interact with either Lucas or Abe." he told himself as he dialed her cell phone number.

(Mmmm, Martinez." Jo answered sleepily.)

"Jo. This is Henry." he whispered.

("Henry! Oh, thank God! You disappeared, I mean you vanished, the building vanished with you in it yesterday!" she cried out but he heard the relief in her voice.)

"Jo, Jo, yes, I'm fine. Please calm down."

(Why are you whispering, Henry? Is everything OK?)

"Yes, yes, well, that is, I need you to meet me at the coffee shop around the corner from the shop. As soon as you can. I have so much to tell you, please."

(OK, Henry, 15 minutes.)

"Thank you, Jo. I'll be waiting." He hung up and heaved a sigh of relief. As he quickly but stealthily groomed and dressed himself so as not to wake up his son, his big smile grew wider and wider. He had to fight the urge to sing. He and the lovely detective finally had a date with "Cupid's Little Canal of Love". He gave himself a last once over in the full length mirror, smoothed down a wavy curl on the side of his head and smiled again at the prospect of interacting with her on a most intimate basis. After all, he told himself, this was for her own good.

5

Jo and Lucas walked up to Abe's Antiques but were confronted with a Closed sign and a locked door. They peered inside but saw no movement. Just as Jo was about to pull out her cell phone and call Abe, his car pulled up behind hers. He waved a bit uncertainly to them as he exited the car and walked up to the door.

"Hey, Abe." They greeted him and stepped aside as he unlocked the door. They noticed that he wasn't his usual carefree, amiable self. He looked pale, worried, out of breath and ... as if he'd recently been crying. Lucas and Jo exchanged concerned looks.

"Uh, hey, Jo, Lucas." He nodded at both of them but replied barely above a whisper; his hands shook as he tried the key in the lock. Lucas also noticed the beads of sweat on Abe's brow and reached out his hand in an effort to aid the elderly shopkeeper, but the door finally opened.

Abe stepped into the shop, then turned and faced them. He clung to the side of the door and tried a few times to speak, then gave up. His pinched expression and the way his whole body trembled, alarmed Jo and Lucas no end.

"I'm, sorry, guys. I ... uh ... " he didn't finish and when his hold slipped a bit from the door, Jo and Lucas quickly stepped in and took over. Lucas held him up amidst his protests, and guided him over to a chair near the chessboard that held a game in progress between his dad and himself. Abe closed his eyes and bent his head down, his hands gripped the arms of the wooden chair.

Jo locked the door back and walked quickly over to Abe. His look worried her. His whole demeanor spoke to some kind of traumatic shock or he'd received some very bad news. Henry, she thought. He's really taking it hard that Henry vanished along with the Hall of Wonder building. Surely, he understood that he'd return tomorrow, just as Lucas had, just as the Freeman couple had? She watched sympathetically as he sipped from a glass of water that Lucas had given him. She knew something was very definitely wrong when he stared at the unfinished chess game and broke down. Lucas spread his hands and worked his mouth with no sound as he looked helplessly at Jo.

"Come on, Abe. Let's get you upstairs." She inclined her head to Lucas, and between the two of them, they managed to help Abe upstairs to the sitting room. All the while Abe softly sobbed and muttered something about not wanting to trouble them, that he knew he was just being a big baby, that they should just leave, he'd be okay.

"We're not leaving you, Abe, you can forget that!" Jo said in a tone much louder than intended. She shushed him as they finally got him to sit on the couch. "I'll put on a pot of tea." She squeezed both of his hands with hers. "You like that?" Her heart broke and her own tears threatened to burst out when he looked forlornly at her and nodded. She gave him a quick peck on the forehead and quickly escaped to the kitchen to start the tea. She motioned for Lucas and he followed her into the kitchen.

"Think we should leave him alone?" Lucas asked her with widened eyes. "I've never seen him like that." he whispered as he looked back at Abe.

"I'll start the tea, you go get a damp cloth for him to wipe his ... " her voice trailed off. "Get him a damp cloth, okay?" Lucas nodded and dashed off. Within minutes he'd handed the cloth to Abe, who thanked him and wiped his face, then held the cloth to his eyes as he sobbed louder. His shoulders shook and even the short, wiry hairs on his head trembled.

Jo ran into the room to find Abe sobbing and Lucas hovering helplessly over him. "Go watch the pot." she whispered to Lucas and waved him towards the kitchen. Once he'd left, she embraced Abe and rocked him back and forth much as a mother comforted her child. She stroked his hair and it reminded her of how Henry had comforted her the other night and it had helped calm her fears. After a few minutes, Lucas brought in the tea tray and poured them all a cup of tea. Abe had calmed down quite a bit by then. He took the cup of aromatic brew from Lucas and smiled at them.

"Better?" Jo asked softly, tilting her head to look at him.

"Yeah. Sorry. Don't know what came over me." His attempted laugh rang hollow. "Look, you guys don't have to hang around here, I'll be allright. Henry will ... be ... back tomorrow." He nodded as if to convince himself, but it wasn't working. He suddenly clanked his cup back down onto the saucer and sat back up with a look of deep frustration on his face. "It's just that," he searched for words, "you guys don't know him like I do. He - means so much to me." His voice choked and threatened another round of tears. "I don't know anybody else like him." his voice shuddered but he seemed to calm back down. "He's the best friend I've ever had."

Jo and Lucas looked at each other again and sighed. She put her hand on Abe's shoulder and he turned to look at her.

"The Freeman couple vanished into that building more than once, and obviously, their son did, too. And they all came back the next day. In this strange do-over day we're caught in." She smiled when Abe smiled at that. Lucas smiled, too, relieved that the heavy tension in the room was lifted a bit.

"Now, Henry will come back. Tomorrow. Just like they did. Okay?" Abe didn't reply. "We have to believe that, Abe. And I'm a cop. The ... evidence points to his reemergence so I'm hanging my hat on that." She wondered what she'd said that made Abe laugh so hard. "What? What did I say?" she laughingly asked.

"Reemergence." Abe laughed.

"Well, she just means there's no reason to worry, that Henry will return tomorrow in one piece, accent, scarf and all." Lucas grinned.

"Yeah. Yeah." Doesn't he always? he laughed again. More at himself than at Jo describing his father's return as a reemergence. He drained his tea cup as the brew had cooled to lukewarm. He took a few breaths and had to admit that their at first unwanted company had helped him to weather this storm. And he fully believed that his father had not died permanently as lost in limbo, and that he would reemerge tomorrow. He looked at his watch and slowly stood up and groaned as he stretched his back.

"Guess it's time to - "

"Start a delicious, mouth-watering meal?" Lucas smiled hopefully at him.

Abe frowned in confusion. "No. There are still a few more daylight hours left. I'm opening the shop back up." He shook his head at Lucas and walked down the stairs to the shop.

Jo smiled at the look of dismay on Lucas' face. "Don't worry. We'll order in." she motioned her cell phone at him and he grinned.

Lucas walked towards the stairs and watched Abe disappear into the shop from the bottom of the stairs. He tiptoed back and sat next to Jo as she finished ordering their Chinese food and ended the call.

"What if, we snoop around in the big guy's lair downstairs to see what we can see." he frowned at her frown of disapproval. "What?"

"No, Lucas, we can't snoop behind his back. Take advantage of this to satisfy our own morbid curiousity about Henry."

"And Abe." Lucas pointed out. "Did ya see how broken up he was about Henry not being here?"

Jo shook her head. "No." she said adamantly. "No snooping. Henry or Abe wants to tell anybody anything about themselves, they will." She continued as Lucas protested. "We wouldn't be good friends if we took advantage of Henry's absence to nose around where it's none of our business." She held up her finger to Lucas and stared him directly in the eyes. "No snooping."

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, okay." He looked over at the bookshelf that, unbeknownst to him or Jo, held many first edition volumes of 18th and 19th century classics, some autographed and many in pristeen condition. He walked closer and fingered some of the books and whispered the titles to himself. Then he suddenly snatched his fingers back from the books and rejoined Jo on the couch.

"What's wrong? Something bite you over there?" Jo teased.

"No, I just figured that reading a book got us into this mess and I don't wanna press my luck."

Downstairs in the shop, Abe chided himself for his earlier behavior. He'd panicked a bit when Jo had called to say that Henry had vanished into that weird building at that weird carnival. he'd rushed down to the river and waited and waited and waited. But no Henry. After a good cry in the car, he'd driven back to the shop. For some reason, he was surprised to find Jo and Lucas waiting for him. Normally, he would have welcomed their company but he was too dismayed to deal with anyone else at that moment. He'd just wanted to lock himself in his room and have a good cry like when he was ten and missed the fifth game of the World Series. Not having Henry there with him, whether or not he would return the next morning, was like a little slice of never having him again. And he wasn't ready for that scenario. He was selfishly not ready for that scenario.

Sadness and melancholy had nearly caused him to give his father's secret away including the secret of their true relationship. It had been right on the tip of his tongue! He can't believe how close he was to blowing it for Dad. In the past he'd always had better control over things like that. He just hoped that Jo and Lucas chalked his tear-jerker session up to old age. Wherever Dad was, he desperately hoped that he had found some answers, a way out of this silly time loop thing. Because he was getting too old for this kinda stuff.

6

Sadness and melancholy had nearly caused him to give his father's secret away including the secret of their true relationship. It had been right on the tip of his tongue! ... He just hoped that Jo and Lucas chalked his tear-jerker session up to old age. Wherever Dad was, he desperately hoped that he had found some answers, a way out of this silly time loop thing.

vvvv

Jo took the long way to the coffee shop in order to avoid being seen by Abe, as Henry had suggested. As she rolled up to the coffee shop, her heart leapt at the sight of her quirky but handsome friend standing anxiously near the curb holding two beverages and a small bag in his hands. His face lit up into a bright smile as she stopped to let him in. Impecabbly dressed, as usual, he crossed the street to her car and she wondered for the umpteenth time how he could afford such expensive looking attire on his civil service pay. 'At least he wears it well. And why is my heart doing that leap thingy just because I see him?' She chalked it up to gas from lack of any breakfast yet. Maybe.

The dapper Brit expertly juggled the food items without spilling or dropping them as he got into the car and buckled up. Still smiling, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh before situating the beverages into the car's cup holders. He tilted the small bag towards Jo. "For you."

"Thanks, Henry." She smiled and peeped inside the bag as he held it open. Taking in a big whiff of the pastry delights, she cooed, "Ummm, apple pie donut holes, my favorite."

"You're quite welcome, Detec-, I mean, Jo." His smile softened a bit and almost faded altogether. "We should drive away from here. Abe likes to visit this coffee shop for their apple turnovers and we need to diligently avoid both him and Lucas." He huffed out a quick breath.

"Yeah, I remember you told me that, but you didn't explain why." She backed the car into an auto shop's driveway ignoring the frowns from a couple of mechanics, and turned the car down the street, away from the antique shop. "Where we headed? Because, eventually, we're gonna blink back to that weirdo carnival."

"Park by the river. The, uh, East River." He nervously sparrow-eyed her a few times, his smile completely faded. "There's much to tell."

"East River." she nodded. "That place hold much sentimental value for you?" She grinned mischievously at him.

He knew it was meant as a joking reference to his several arrests near the river for public nudity. His head down and eyebrows raised, he quietly replied, "It's, uh, peaceful there."

Once parked, Henry filled Jo in on what had transpired after he'd vanished the previous day along with the Hall of Wonder.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she sat straight up with her arms crossed. She leveled a look of disdain at him. "We are supposed to do what?!"

"Jo, please, calm down." he urged. "I know it sounds preposterous but at the same time, rather ... pleasant, don't you think?" his smile weak but hopeful.

"Henry - " she sighed.

They were silent for several moments. But time was not on their side. They had to come to some sort of agreement on this so that they, too, could be extricated from the improbable situation.

"What if you just dreamed all of this, Henry? What if the two of us kissing in the tunnel of love is just wishful thinking on your part?" She shook her head quickly in exasperation, her arms still crossed.

"I didn't think that I would be met with so much opposition." He frowned and shifted his weight in his seat. "Does it really sound so disgusting to you?" He felt a bit insulted. "I am a gentleman, Jo. Have I not always treated you with the utmost respect?"

She nodded and shrugged, a bit amused at his annoyance.

He continued, his voice raised a bit. "I don't intend to slobber all over you like some love-starved teenager!" He jabbed a finger downward and raised his eyebrows at her. "And what I experienced was no dream, you can be certain of that!"

She tried unsuccessfully to speak but he continued his rant.

"My interests in this affair, this operation, are purely professional. Now, Block - "

"Block." She guffawed indignantly and shook her head. And "purely professional"; she heard those words ... and they hurt.

"Yes, Block!" he repeated a little louder. He cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. "Must I explain it all over again? Time is not on our side here, Jo." Her resistance frustrated him. But ... he hadn't exactly told her everything that Block had said.

He inhaled and exhaled, then closed his eyes to gather more courage. His words were quiet, slow and deliberate. "She said that -"

"She? Block is a she? Bet you had her eating out of your hand, didn't you?" she smirked.

"I'm glad that you find all of this so amusing, but - yes, Block is a female, well, both, but that's neither here nor there." He waved his hand dismissively and ignored Jo's frown of confusion. Story for another time. "Please allow me to continue." Ohhh, it was a lucky thing that he cared for her so much since she seemed to be doing everything possible to wear his patience to shreds. "She said that you ... and I ... had to face facts."

"Face what facts?" Jo squinted at him, suspicious of what he'd say next.

He took in another deep breath and exhaled loudly through his mouth. "That we ... are ... in love." He side-eyed her and braced himself for her reply.

Her mouth opened wide, her face awash in disbelief. She waved her index finger rapidly back and forth between them. "You and me." she chuckled mirthlessly. "In love." Although she was pretty sure she felt that way about him, she'd never let him know because he obviously wasn't in love with her. Although he had handled her gently and lovingly the other night when he'd held her close and comforted her. It had felt so nice, so right being in his arms. Moreover, just knowing that he was there for her when she'd needed him. She pushed the thought from her mind; he was just being Henry, being so gentlemanly and nice, that's all. Agree that they were in love? She refused to go out on that limb alone and look foolish.

"The way you say it, you make it sound ridiculous." he muttered dejectedly.

If she didn't know better, she'd say he sounded hurt. She did not take Henry as the type of guy who only wanted to get in her pants. Not like some other guys she'd had one night stands with. That was the whole purpose of those non-relationships. One nighters for quick gratification. Nothing more. Henry ... Henry was different. Much different. He'd woken up feelings in her that she'd thought long ago died with her late husband, Sean. She liked those feelings. Simple things like looking forward to a new day. Singing in the shower. Paying attention to her appearance again. Tasting her food again. And coffee! She'd missed the delightful smell of freshly brewed coffee. Flowers. Birds singing. Not being annoyed by someone else's ringtone. Even copying one for her own phone because it was her jam. Not just one that she and Sean had jammed to. Her own. She'd begun to take baby steps away from being shackled to his memory. He'd always be there, but she had begun to think there might be room for someone else eventually. She had begun to notice other people. Other men. Henry, in particular. Well ... Henry period.

Was it that ridiculous, she wondered to herself. She wasn't sure but if they had to kiss to get out of this, so be it. "Henry ... okay, okay. Let's say we do this just so we can be - "

"Extricated."

"- extricated from this story, oh, boy, what am I saying?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Why, may I ask, is this so disagreeable to you?" He frowned and twisted in his seat to face her. "Do I suffer from halitosis or something?" He'd never had any trouble attracting women, beautiful women. Abe and Lucas had described him independently of each other as a "chick magnet". So why was she so obviously repulsed by the idea? This lovely detective who'd stolen his heart almost from the moment they'd met? Apparently, the feeling was not mutual. Block was wrong. He may love her, but she obviously had no romantic inclinations towards him. He wistfully recalled how they'd clung to each other in the sweetest of warm embraces the night before. In that one moment, everything had felt right. As if all the loose and broken pieces of their hearts and souls had finally fallen perfectly into place. He remembered stroking her hair and how soft and vibrant the strands felt under his touch. How her arms around his waist had ensnared him in the tenderest of traps he never wanted to free himself from. Her laughter broke into his thoughts.

"It's bad breath, Henry, bad breath!" she guffawed again, loudly. Calming herself, she managed to tell him, "But, no, you do not." She grinned, playfully patted his hand, and returned her gaze to the murky waters in front of them.

"Then, why?" He watched his now silent partner as her features calmed. When she failed to reply, he reminded her, "Block allowed us two extra hours before official sunrise to get our plan squared away." He sat back and ran his fingers through the curls on the top of his head.

"And that's exactly what it sounds like, Henry: a plan." She continued to watch the river, a hint of sadness in her soft voice. "It doesn't sound ... " She lowered her eyes.

"Doesn't sound romantic?" Henry softly finished her statement as the river also held his attention. She was right, though. He hadn't counted on the need to make it romantic. Had he really lost his touch in dealing with matters of the heart? Is that why this was going so badly? He had to fix this before they blinked out, as she called it. Before they inexplicably found themselves walking towards the carnival's entrance again. What would be the point of going there to do anything if she wasn't willing to cooperate? He closed his eyes and tried to think what his worldly son would tell him. Abe would urge him to just tell her. Just tell her that you love her. Tell her. 'He's right. My son, bless his soul, always seems to know what's the right thing to do.' He looked over at Jo and saw her eyes glistenening. 'Tears?' It should come as no surprise, he concluded. The whole bloody mess was taking its toll on her; on him, too. And his overly clinical approach to solving their problem wasn't helping. He suddenly reached over and covered her soft, slender hand with his and squeezed it. When she returned his gaze, he smiled and, thankfully, she smiled back.

"Jo, please forgive me for behaving so insensitively." he pleaded, his deep, soft voice soothing to her. "The truth is ... the fact is ... that I do ..."

They drew nearer to each other, lips only inches apart.

"Yes, Henry?" she asked, breathless.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

The gravel under their feet crunched loudly as they made their way up to the carnival's entrance.

"By my stars! We're back. Again." He deeply regretted that the moment was once again lost! "Jo -"

"Don't flash my badge, we pay and enter as regular patrons." she wearily recited and continued on stride towards the entrance. "I'm starting to wonder what difference that would make, anyway?"

"Well, that's not exactly what I was going to say, but, yes, there's still no need to alert them to our presence just yet. But there's also no longer any need for us to have a look around." He grinned as he partially repeated his words from the prior day. It was kind of fun being on semi-autopilot. Kind of. "We simply head to the Cupid, uh, love attraction and take it from there."

They fell into the shortest line and inched up slowly in silence.

"Henry, what was that right before we, uh, arrived here?" Jo asked cautiously. "Were we about to ... kiss or something?"

He lowered his head, smiled, and quietly replied, "Yes, I believe we were."

When she didn't respond, he felt that the moment was there but lost once again. He started to speak, then didn't know what to say so he just grunted and swung his arms a bit with his fists clenched. 'Why is she being so difficult?' He bit his tongue in an effort to curtail his rising temper, as it would be counter-productive to their efforts.

They purchased their tickets in silence, even the cashier keenly aware of the palpable tension between them. Once inside the carnival, they moved to the spot they'd previously stood in. Henry impatiently reminded Jo again of their objective. She listened silently, then trudged off in the direction of the tunnel and he reluctantly followed. Why was she being so resistant? Jo was usually more level headed than this, he told himself. Always willing to entertain any and all possibilities in order to solve a mystery. And this was one heck of a mystery.

She came to a stop a few feet from the end of the line at the attraction and stared blankly at the people in line and at the attraction. Henry secured a spot in line for them and, once he got her attention, motioned for her to join him. When she didn't, he reluctantly left his spot and edged over to her.

"Look, Jo," he said, struggling to keep his irritated voice down, "this is our way out of this. Do you understand?"

"Ye-yes, yes, you're right. Sorry." she stammered and faltered a bit.

Irritation was quickly replaced by concern, as he jumped to support her with one arm around her waist and the other under her elbow. "Jo?" Block had explained to him that she'd become ill the previous day in this same area because she had fought against her feelings for him. It appeared to be happening again. Therefore, her weakened condition both worried and elated him. 'Am I supposed to tell her now or wait until we get into the tunnel?' He regretted that Block had not been more specific in that regard.

She blinked and looked at him as if a fog had claimed her brain. She replied almost inaudibly with eyes closed, brow wrinkled.

He lifted her chin up and met her eyes with a smile. "We've got to go into the tunnel, Jo. It's the only way."

She squinted as she rubbed her temples with her fingers, but she managed a wobbly nod in agreement.

"Yes. That's it. Over here." He smiled and slowly guided her over to the end of the line which, to his dismay, had grown almost four times as long in the past few minutes. Instead of ten couples ahead of them, there were now close to 50. This wasn't going well at all, no, not at all. He was literally holding Jo up and the line seemed to have come to a standstill. They would be forced to make a repeat appearance tomorrow, all the while having to again avoid both Abe and Lucas. Then a thought hit him.

"Jo. Jo." He cringed as she lifted her paled face to him. It pained him to see her dizzy and weak like this. His poor darling. And the thought fleetingly crossed his mind as to why he was not affected in the same way. Maybe because of his peculiar condition? Or maybe because he'd owned up to his feelings for her some time ago. He'd never acted on them, again, because of his condition that he had not, could not, divulge to her. Nevertheless, they had to get to the head of the line before their time ran out.

"Jo. You need to flash your badge and get us to the head of the line." He gently patted her cheek and repeated himself. What were they to do? He looked around desperately and gently shook her in an effort to get a response from her. Oh, if only she hadn't been so argumentative earlier, they'd probably already be out of here! Just as he thought things couldn't get any worse, the large, unfriendly woman who'd won the ring toss the other day (and given him the "evil eye") walked up to them. What now?

The surly looking woman stood a few feet away from them and with her meaty hands on her hips, walked menacingly closer to them. Henry had never hit a woman before and had no intentions of hitting her, but he was prepared to knock her aside as he and Jo made their getaway. He held Jo up with one arm and freed the other and held it at the ready, as the woman came nearer.

"Trouble?" she asked, her voice trilled as she suspiciously eyed the two of them. Then, she quickly said, "Follow me." She turned and marched toward the head of the line, stopped and looked at him over her shoulder and repeated the command. He eyed her warily until she asked, "You want to get in a boat, right?"

He nervously nodded and half-carried, half dragged poor Jo as they followed the woman. She stopped up ahead of them near one of the small boats and waited impatiently for them, her hands still on her hips. When he'd finally managed to reach the boat, she pointed at it and ordered them to get in. It was clear he was getting no help from anyone else so he picked Jo up (thankfully, she was light in his arms) and he placed her at the outer edge of the large, highbacked seat. After he'd gotten in, the surly woman suddenly smiled as sweetly as a cherubim. "There you are. Finally." she whispered. "Block sent me. She said you two needed a little help." She winked. "I would tell you my name, but the darn writer left it out of the story." She sighed and pulled something from her skirt pocket and crimped Jo's hands around it. "Good luck." She smiled and waved to them as their boat, one of a small floatilla, slowly made its way towards the tunnel entrance. Henry realized it was the woman's Kewpie doll prize from the ring toss the other day. He beamed a smile of thanks back at her and waved.

Yes, finally, they were on their way into the tunnel. He still held Jo against him, since she now appeared to be asleep. But the closer their boat got to the tunnel entrance, she began to stir and tighten her grip on the doll that reminded him a great deal of Block. It was pudgy, small, with a round head and painted on large, round, black eyes and eyelashes and a perpetual, impish smile. He gratefully looked down at Jo as she raised her head and took a few deep breaths.

'Come on, Jo. Wake up. We're here. We're finally here. The last leg of our journey.'

They were now inside the short, darkened tunnel, but there was still enough light for him to see her face. Her skin felt soft and warm as he gently brushed his thumb across her cheek. It was not in his nature to ever take advantage of an incapacitated woman. The thought of doing it now, repulsed him. But, as unseemly as it was, and, faced with their unfortunate circumstance with apparently only one way out, he decided he had no choice but to do as Block had instructed. He looked up and saw that they neared the tunnel exit. Daylight cast more light into the tunnel and he saw her face even more clearly. Ahhh, she was a beautiful creature. He was stunned by her beauty.

As more light entered the tunnel, the frown lines between her brows showed more prominently. He watched her, confused. 'Is she fighting her feelings for me or her way out of this brain fog?' Whatever the case, he knew it was now or never.

"Forgive me, Jo." he quietly apologized, his voice deep with emotion. "It appears that you are to play the part of Sleeping Beauty and I, the part of your Prince Charming." He raised her chin a bit and gently pressed his lips against hers. The softness of her lips both surpised and delighted him. He wasn't prepared for how good it made him feel. Sooo much better than he had ever imagined. And he'd imagined it a lot in the last few months. His pulse rate increased as he teased her lips with his tongue and he pulled her in closer to him. His tongue finally found hers and she pressed closer against him, deepening the kiss. His skin tingled deliciously as her fingers caressed the soft curls at the back of his neck and the sensitive skin just below his collar. He whimpered helplessly and slid his hand up through her long tresses to the back of her head. She wrapped a soft moan around his name and his rational mind slowly buckled. There was nothing for it. He was hers. For as long as she would have him. Hopefully, for forever.

As their small boat moved out of the tunnel they pulled back from each other. Jo blinked and looked around and then up at him. "Oh. We're out already? How'd we even get into this boat? I don't remember much." She closed her eyes and shook her head a few times.

"Well, we had a little help." He hugged her around her shoulders and smiled down at her.

"Ummm, what is this?" She looked down at the Kewpie doll she still clutched.

"Oh, that? I suppose a good luck charm of sorts." he surmised.

She squinted up at the sky, then at the carnival goers and festivities. "Did we - ?" Her question was interrupted when the boat stopped and they gingerly stepped out and back onto dry land again. They walked slowly away from the attraction towards the carnival exit. Nothing seemed to have changed, though. Or had it? They suddenly became aware that they were holding hands. The confused couple stopped and faced each other.

They now looked deeply into each other's eyes, both searching the other's for something that said this was more than just a necessary action to obtain their freedom from this most baffling form of imprisonment. He thought he finally saw in her beautiful, brown eyes what he needed to see: a softening, a welcoming towards him. A loneliness long overdue its end. A breathless need for his touch. For him. Block had not been wrong. It was there. The air around them was crisp, clean, and new. Every sound was crystal clear.

"Yes." he replied.

A vision floated in front of her. But it was more like ... a memory. But it was an impossible memory. She was all done up like the Princess doll she once had as a child. A pale green, scoop-necked chiffon-laced dress with a fitted bodice, puff sleeves and lacy petticoats underneath a bell-shaped skirt. Diamonds and pearls adorned her upswept hair with tendril curls falling around the curve of her cheeks and nape of her neck.

And Henry. Henry? Dressed as a most dashing Prince with a most dazzling smile. He swept her up into his arms and - And the vision was gone.

"What happened, Henry? What happened in the tunnel?" Jo couldn't deny her disappointment. She wanted the vision back or ... or something like it.

"Please don't be angry with me, but you weren't fully awake and, and we were running out of time so I ... " He suddenly straightened a bit and squared his shoulders. "I engineered the kiss between us."

Engineered, she glumly repeated to herself. Purely professional, he'd said earlier, with regard to them locking lips. But what she heard next made her heart flutter and her spirits rise.

"But I also have to tell you that I'm in love with you, Jo. Have been for ... quite some time." He lowered his head and gave her a look with those large, sad, puppy dog eyes that made her lose coherent thought and wobble her knees. "I, I hope you don't mind me taking such liberties with you."

"Mind? Mind, Henry?" She threw her head back and laughed. "That's what I've been waiting to hear from you for so long." She flung her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear, "I love you, too, Henry Morgan, you impossible man!"

He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer to him. They clung to each other as they'd done two nights ago with their eyes closed. Each murmured love confessions to the other, neither aware that their surroundings had changed.

Notes: Not exactly a cliffhanger but not exactly finished yet with this story. One more chapter to tie things up. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

7

They clung to each other as they'd done two nights ago with their eyes closed. Each murmured love confessions to the other, neither aware that their surroundings had changed.

vvvv

The familiar carnival sounds faded and the smells from the various food booths dissipated as they embraced. A familiar feeling washed over Henry as he opened his eyes. They were in the middle of a dense, white fog that reminded him of the dense London fogs in his English homeland. He once again felt a hard surface like a floor under his feet. They were back in that strange somewhere that led to the large room where Writing Block was.

He gently tugged Jo's arms from around his neck. "Jo, we're back."

She opened her eyes and looked around at the dense, white fog that engulfed them. "Back? Back where?"

"Uh, well, I'm not exactly sure, but ... well, I don't know, really, but ..."

"Henry, stop. You're babbling."

"I know, Jo, but fear and confusion have a tendency to make mush of most people's brains. However, I do know how to navigate our way to our little friend." He firmly grasped Jo's hand and with his other arm extended in front of him, he felt his way along more confidently, this time.

After a few minutes, the sound of a high-pitched voice and the mingled laughter and applause of many caught his ear and once again guided him forward. The dense fog began to clear and they soon found themselves walking down the long corridor again. They soon entered the large, wood-panelled room, with the high-domed ceiling. He craned his neck back and directed Jo's attention to the slow carousel of typed letters, both upper and lower case, that spun around the domed ceiling.

"Welcome! The Special One. And his lovely lady." the familiar high-pitched, munchkin-like voice bellowed jovially at them. "You're still not supposed to be here, but Welcome!"

Henry grinned as Jo jerked her head down and around to find the owner of the voice. He held her head and directed her to look towards Block. "Jo, say hello to Block. Block, this is Jo."

Block rolled her eyes. "I know who you are. But you both did what you were supposed to do, so why are you here?"

"I-I'm sorry, we didn't ask to be here. We thought that once we followed your instructions, we'd wind up, I don't know, back at work or at our home? Aren't you in charge of this whole thing, Block?" Henry managed to stammer out.

"In charge? In charge?" Block paused and worked her eyes here and there and then smiled. "Another accident!" She turned back to her feverish typing. "Not responsible. You must leave." She rapidly typed some more. "There! Go! Now!" Then, she paused, looking confused. "But go where?" she muttered, tapping a chubby finger to her mouth.

Henry waited as patiently as he could for Block's next utterance.

"Henry, where are that laughter and applause coming from?" Jo asked. She stayed close to him but her head swiveled as her eyes searched the room for their source.

"Block told me that the laughter is from the enjoyment of billions upon trillions upon zillions of readers since the dawn of time. People enjoy reading and they'll burst into laughter at different points because the writer's words entertain them. She said it is the laughter of the ages. And, I suppose, their applause, too."

"Questions! Always questions! Accidents. Ohhhhh..." Block moaned as before and banged a lever down and halted her feverish typing. The overhead carousel of letters slowly continued to circle. Block twisted around on the barstool to face Henry and Jo then jumped off the barstool and once again walked in the air over to them. Jo backed away cautiously but Henry stood fast.

"Oh, don't be afraid of me, Jo. I'm sure Henry already told you that I am Writer's Block. Block for short."

"Block, thank you for your help, but you said we must leave and go ... where? You're going to help us with that, too, right?" Henry asked hopefully.

"Yes. You two are no longer a part of this story, thanks to me." She floated back to the barstool and perched herself in front of the large console again and pecked out a few letters with a thoughtful look on her face. "I can help you to go anywhere. Back to your drudgy jobs, back to your humdrum homes or ... how about ... Paris?" she impishly smiled at them.

They bloth blushed bright red. "Uh, Block, I think that might be a bit premature, don't you think?" He looked at Jo for approval as he spoke next. "How about we just go back to work." Jo nodded and he nodded, as well, and looked at Block. "Take it from there."

"As you wish." Block replied. "But Paris would be much more exciting. A most invigorating city!" She looked at them as they shook their heads. "No? Fine."

"Ummm, Block ... ?" Jo timidly began. "Why did you refer to Henry as The Special One?"

Henry froze and stared in terror at Block.

Block slowly replied. "He ... is ... special ... in a ... special ... way."

Jo looked suspiciously at Henry then back at Block. "Special in what way? Why is he special?"

Block smiled apologetically at Jo. "It is for him to tell. It's a long story."

"Where have I heard that line before?" Jo muttered as she narrowed her eyes at Henry.

"Sorry, Jo Martinez." Block turned her attention back to the console. "But Abe's the only other one who knows." she snickered impishly and watched Henry out of the corner of her eye.

Henry's jaw dropped to the floor. Block could use a good spanking, it seemed.

Jo crossed her arms and stared at Henry. "Is he, now?" She suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around Henry's neck. "Block, a change in plans. Send us back to Abe's Antiques. Henry's home." She stared him squarely in the eyes, the smuggest of looks on her face. When she shook him a couple of times and jiggled her hips, he reluctantly complied to her animated commands and placed his arms around her waist. He could see that she was determined to get answers out of him. But he found that he wasn't totally averse to divulging his secret to her. Just a little caught off guard by Block's untimely outburst.

Block cringed slightly and looked at the console. "As. You. Wish." She flipped several levers and pressed a finger on a small, yellow, doorbell-shaped button. "Won't be more than a minute."

Henry found it hard to balance what he felt at this moment. On the one hand, it was very nice to be close to Jo, to hold her in his arms again. But her eyes were boring a hole in his as she stared him down. What was he going to do? If he came clean with her, she'd be angry and maybe he'd lose her all too soon. If he didn't come clean ... same outcome. In the next instance, he lowered his head and smiled as she leaned forward and hugged him closer. She whispered in his ear that she loved him and whatever his long story was, she would stick with him. That she knew he was a good man and they'd be fine if he just trusted her.

"Remember what I told you the last time you were here, Henry. Time's a wasting, although you have all the time in the world." Block smiled knowingly at him again. In a flash, the smile turned into a serious expression. "But Jo does not. So!" Block banged a blue, star-shaped button on the console, which caused two separate rungs of letters to shrink and float down and circle around them. "To Abe's Antiques, it is, you two."

They stared at the letters that encircled them, then closed their eyes and clung to each other. Block's voice grew fainter and fainter as she wished them God speed and good luck.

8

The sounds of car and foot traffic and voices, seeped into Jo's awareness. She opened her eyes and recognized the street corner they were suddenly on. Several passersby cast mildly interested looks at her and she realized that she and Henry were still in a tight embrace.

"Ummm, we're back. We're here." They gently pulled away from each other.

"Quite, quite." Henry responded as they endeavored to hide their blushes from each other.

After a few heartbeats, Jo motioned with her head towards the door of Abe's Antiques, reminding him of their purpose for being there. He quickly reached over and opened it, motioning for her to enter first. As the shop's bell tinkled, Abe looked up from the desk at the back of the shop.

"Henry, what happened? Heard you in the shower and then, poof, you were gone." he asked excitedly. "Hi, Jo."

"Hi, Abe." Jo raised an eyebrow towards Henry, who appeared to be sweating bullets.

"Ahhh ,,, well ... " He chuckled nervously and clasped his hands in front of him. "Why don't we all go downstairs into my laboratory?" He pulled back the rug and raised the floor opening.

Abe, in turn, chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, downstairs?" He chuckled again as Jo began to descend, then bored his eyes into Henry's. He caught his father by the arm and whispered, "Are you sure?"

Henry thought for a second and then replied, "No. It's more like I have to. She's become aware of certain things about me and I have to find a way to explain everything to her."

"Everything?" Abe frowned and squinted his eyes.

Henry nodded and sighed. He glanced down at the bottom of the stairs where Jo now stood waiting patiently for him.

"Well, I guess I'd better break out the liquid courage for you, then." He released Henry's arm and patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be alright, Pops. She's a keeper. And you can trust her."

"Thank you, Abraham." He descended the stairs as Abe called after him.

"I'll be down in a minute."

Once he was down in his laboratory, he saw Jo perched uncomfortably on the settee. Her eyes wandered around the room, stopping on certain items that interested her, and finally settling on the chalkboard in the corner. She squinted a little and then turned her attention back to Henry when he cleared his throat.

He walked slowly towards her with his hands clasped behind his back, an apologetic look on his face. The chalkboard briefly caught his attention as he sat down next to her, and whatever semblance of a smile he'd had, was now gone. His heart was pounding so hard that he could barely hear himself speak.

"I don't quite know where to begin, Jo." His hesitant voice rumbled soft and deep.

"Block dropped some strange sounding hints. Start by explaining those."

He smiled painfully and sighed. Block. That impish little devil. "She was right when she said that I have all the time in the world. After all, I've been alive for more than 200 years."

Jo's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Two hundred ... you're 200 years old?"

"Actually, he's 237 years old." Abe called out ahead of him as he descended the stairs and walked over to put the scotch and three drinking glasses on the desk.

Jo slowly shook her head and repeated the impossible age to herself.

"Abraham!" Henry jumped up and walked over to his recalcitrant son. "I am in the process of telling her myself."

Abe filled two glasses and handed them to him. "You said she already knew some things. I was just capping things off for you. Sorry."

Henry shot his most disapproving look at his son and walked back over to Jo and gave her one of the drinks which she downed in one gulp.

"Uh, want I should go back upstairs?" Abe asked as he cast a concerned look at Jo.

"No." Jo startled both of them at her loud response. "You are the only other one who knows about Henry." She angrily pouted at him. "You stay. I need answers and this one (pointing to Henry) is too slow in delivering."

Both men swallowed and clutched their drinks as they sat down.

"Now, Abe, why are you the only other one who knows?"

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by her.

"And what, exactly, is it that you know? I mean besides him being 237 years old?"

"I must say that you're taking this quite in stride, Detec- Jo." Henry said with a smile.

She turned her angry pout to him and his smile faded. "Well, after what we've been through for the past couple of days, it's not too hard to wrap my head around it."

The two men shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"Well," he chuckled and pointed a finger at Henry, "it, uh, it's really his story to tell." He tried a smile on her but immediately dropped it from his face. He took a sip of his scotch.

Jo turned on her interrogation skills and directed her next question to Henry. "Why are you 237 years old, then?"

"Because ever since my first death in 1814, death, the everlasting kind, has escaped me."

"So, you can't die?"

"Oh, yes, I can die."

"And he's died a lot." Abe said and rolled his eyes. He avoided another look of disapproval from his father and sipped his drink again.

"It's just that whenever I do die and expell my last breath, I immediately inhale my next in the nearest, large body of water. And I'm always naked." He watched her and waited for that to sink in.

"Okay, the ... " she snorted and continued, "Naked." She looked at him in awe. "All your arrests for public indecency."

"Nudity, not indecency." he pointed out.

Abe snorted and sipped his drink. He viewed both of them with a self-satisfied look. Much too self-satisfied for his father, who lowered a glare at him.

Jo suddenly revisited an earlier question with Abe. "Why are you the only other one who knew? Are you his father? Wait, you're 500 years old, right?"

"No, I'm mortal, like you."

"Then, how - ?"

"I'm his 73-year-old son." He raised his glass at Jo and gulped down the rest of his drink.

"You could at least act as though you're concerned for the poor woman's sanity, Abraham." Henry chided his son. "I thought I'd raised you better than that!"

Abe sighed and got up and poured himself another drink. "Now you're concerned about how well I was raised. Kinda late, don't ya think?" he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Henry demanded.

"Nothing, Dad. Nothing." He sat back down and lifted his glass to Jo, who appeared greatly amused at their exchange.

"You're the son. Not the other way around." She smiled and sorted out her thoughts out loud. Then, abruptly stood up and shoved her empty glass into Henry's hand. "Too much. Too much. Had enough. See you guys later." She quickly walked to the stairs then just as quickly turned around and walked back to Henry, who'd jumped up the same time that she had. She gathered him into a tight embrace and plastered a wet kiss on him that took his breath away.

"Oh, ho, my." Abe laughed and turned away to give them a bit of privacy.

They broke away from each other in smiles. "I need to go digest all this, Henry. Need a big dose of regular reality right now." she whispered.

"But there's more. Much, much more." he cautiously admitted.

"It's a long story." Abe said and took a longer swig of his drink, still with his back to them.

"And I'll be back to hear the rest of it." she said loudly enough for Abe to hear. Then sighed and whispered to Henry, "I'll be back."

"Promise?"

She kissed him again and he returned it with gusto. She then turned and walked back to the stairs. As she passed Abe, she raised a finger to him. "And you behave yourself." She walked further up the stairs as Abe frowned at her with his hand on his hip.

"Do everything your father tells you to." She darted up the stairs and out of the shop.

Abe threw up his hand. "Well, how do ya like that?" He turned to look at his father only to be met with the broadest, happiest ear-to-ear grin.

Both men trade good-natured barbs as they make their way up and out of the laboratory and into the kitchen where they prepared a hearty meal and happily anticipated the return of one Jo Martinez. Now a part of their lives. Now a part of Henry's forever.


End file.
